#81 Finding Those Hidden Gems on the Farm - Jana Jenkins, Oregon Ag

Jana Jenkins wears a lot of hats. She is both Director of sales at Oregon Wild Rice and co-owner of Oregon-Ag. Oregon Wild Rice was started by two brothers in the mid-Willamette valley in Oregon. Fourth generation Oregon farmers on a farm about 120 years running, they went from grass seed growers to rice because the soil was heavy clay and did not drain water very well. So why fight it? They switched to rice crops which love the water five years ago and have been producing bumper crops of “wild” rice ever since. As crops go, rice is one of the easier products to cultivate. First you dam up some land, let the Oregon rain fill it with water and make a pond, sprinkle the seed in the pond and let it germinate. No plowing, discing or weeding, just wait until it grows to about six feet tall over a few months. The rice is then harvested with a combine, just like most other tall farm crops. Growing rice is not a huge industry in Oregon yet, but obviously with the ease of growing and the amount of rainfall available, it should increase. Oregon Ag came about with Jana being in stores talking to the store owners, who would refer her to other food producers, urging her to check out their products. These referrals led to a stable of clients that Jana and her business partner can take store-to-store and ask the owner what special Oregon products they need, such as a Hazelnut producer, or a wild rice producer or good pickles. Then they fill the need, acting as a built-in distributor for companies not large enough to have their own sales and distribution division. Only started last January, Oregon Ag has already built a great list and it is growing as they find more and more craft products.


"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall


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Thank you for Listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni (  / sarahmasoni  ) of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall (  / spicymarshall  ) , owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast (  / meaningfulmarketplacepodcast  ) . 

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