Agriculture Quarterly: Winter 2025

Message from the Director

Hello, Oregon agriculture,

ODA remains focused on our mission and priorities during this time of uncertainty.

Since taking office in January 2025, President Trump has introduced significant changes to federal programs, including reductions, freezes, and eliminations. These shifts create uncertainty, particularly in agriculture, where many farmers and ranchers navigate unknowns about future support and market conditions.

In close partnership with Governor Kotek and her staff, ODA is actively monitoring federal actions and assessing their potential impacts on Oregonians. While the Governor recognized that a new administration would bring change, she also strongly urged the White House to provide stability and clarity for those affected.

The Governor has made it clear that, as state agencies, we must remain focused on our mission and priorities. I appreciate this guidance and want to emphasize the importance of maintaining calm and practicing empathy. Many of the people my staff work with—farmers, ranchers, and agricultural businesses—face immense stress and uncertainty about how these changes will affect their livelihoods. With new tariffs proposed and in place for China, Canada, and Mexico, producers are preparing for potential retaliatory measures, market volatility, and rising input costs.

These concerns were front and center at the 2025 National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Winter Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.. Stress and uncertainty dominated the discussions. Brook Rollins, the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, acknowledged these challenges and assured attendees that the administration is working to review programs as quickly as possible. ODA remains committed to communicating with our partners as we receive information from our federal partners.

During this transition, I encourage everyone to be kind to one another. As Governor Kotek said, we must continue doing the work of the state—promoting, protecting, and helping Oregon agriculture thrive. But just as importantly, we are happy to support each other and our partners. Change brings challenges, and uncertainty can feel overwhelming. So, let’s remember to communicate, check in on one another, and approach this time with patience, understanding, and resilience.

Sincerely,
Lisa Charpilloz Hanson

Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture

Welcome Adam Crawford

Please welcome Adam Crawford as ODA’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Crawford joined us on Feb. 3, 2025. As COO, he reports to ODA Director Lisa Charpilloz Hanson. He oversees the agency’s business functions, such as human resources, budgeting, accounting, IT, licensing, safety, and the agency’s automobile fleet.

Crawford comes from the Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS), where he served as a policy and budget analyst. In this role, he was responsible for budget analysis and oversight of more than $17 billion. He also previously served as an external relations director and government relations director with DAS. Adam graduated from Seton Hall University and earned a Master of Public Administration and Community and Regional Planning.

ODA is excited to see Crawford apply his experience and education to help the agency meet its strategic goals: organizational excellence, modernization, and customer-focused service. Crawford works in the director’s office at the Salem headquarters and looks forward to meeting and getting to know our partners in agriculture.

Kirk Maag appointed to Oregon State Board of Agriculture

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has appointed Kirk Maag, an environmental and natural resources partner at Stoel Rives law firm, to the Oregon State Board of Agriculture. Maag’s appointment is effective immediately. He will serve a four-year term with an option to reapply for a second term.

“It is an honor to be appointed to serve on the Board of Agriculture. The Board’s vision of cultivating ‘a resilient tomorrow for generations to come’ resonates with me and is a guiding principle I have applied to both my legal career and civic engagement,” Maag said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving our state’s agricultural community and creating a positive impact for our future. I am excited to serve alongside many distinguished industry peers.”

Maag is an active member of Oregon’s agriculture community, with deep, personal roots that connect him to it. He grew up working on his family’s farm and feedlot in rural eastern Oregon. He was recently selected as the 2024 Alumni Fellow for the College of Agricultural Science by the Oregon State University Alumni Association based on his commitment to cultivating community in the next generation of agribusiness- and forest-products-industry leaders. The OSU College of Agricultural Sciences also recognized Maag as its 2024 Alumni Luminary—an award given to an individual who has made early career and community contributions that identify the recipient as a future leader.

The Governor is responsible for appointing all Board of Agriculture members. The Oregon State Board of Agriculture is a 10-member board that advises the Oregon Department of Agriculture on policy issues, develops recommendations on key agricultural issues, and advocates for the state’s agriculture industry in general. The Board is established by Oregon Revised Statute 561.372.

For more information about the Oregon State Board of Agriculture, its members, and vision, visit www.oregon.gov/oda/about-us/pages/board-agriculture.aspx.

Guardians of Health: HPAI

Protect yourself and protect the well-being of the animals in your care by providing the first line of defense - biosecurity. Whether you’re managing a large farm or working with a small livestock operation, biosecurity is the first line of defense in protecting livestock from disease outbreaks and ensuring a safe, healthy environment. By following essential biosecurity practices, you can safeguard your animals, your farm and your own health.

Here is a guide to the must-know biosecurity practices for livestock handlers to protect themselves and their animals.

1. Limit Visitor Access

Visitors can unknowingly carry harmful pathogens on their clothes, shoes, or equipment. To limit risk: restrict access to your farm as much as possible, and if visitors must enter, ensure they wear clean protective gear such as boots, coveralls, and gloves, and provide hand sanitizers or footbaths at entry points.

2. Practice Proper Hand Hygiene

After handling animals, their feed, or equipment, reduce the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses by washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water, and avoid touching your face after handling livestock. Use hand sanitizers when soap and water aren’t available.

3. Disinfect Equipment and Vehicles Regularly

Regularly disinfect items that encounter animals. This includes items such as feeders, trailers, and vehicles. After moving animals, clean and disinfect all equipment before using it again: saturate by submersion or spray with 10 percent bleach (sodium hypochlorite), 1% Virkon®S (DuPont), or other applicable disinfectants per label instructions.

4. Maintain a Clean and Safe Environment

Cleaning and maintaining animal pens, barns, and other areas where your animals live and eat can reduce the risk of infections. Remove manure and bedding regularly, ensure proper drainage and ventilation to reduce humidity and contamination buildup, and separate new animals from the main animal group for at least 30 days to ensure they don’t bring in disease.

5. Control Animal Movements

Limiting the movements of animals on and off your farm can help reduce the risk of introducing or spreading disease. If animals need to be moved, quarantine new arrivals to monitor for signs of illness, only purchase animals from reputable sources, and, if possible, avoid mixing livestock from different sources and of different species.

6. Vaccination and Health Monitoring

Work with your veterinarian to develop a plan for maintaining vaccinations and routine health checks. Monitor and immediately report animals that show signs of illness to your veterinarian.

7. Educate Your Team

If you have employees or others working on the farm, ensure they are well-trained in proper biosecurity practices and ensure everyone understands the importance of hygiene and safety measures that will protect themselves and the animals on the farm. Conduct regular biosecurity training sessions on how to safely handle animals.

8. Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal Protective Equipment is a line of defense to protect the animal handler and prevent contamination between animal groups. PPE can include gloves, boots, coveralls and face masks. It is important to change out of or properly clean and disinfect PPE before moving between different groups of animals, especially after handling sick animals. Care for your main herd/flock before caring for isolated or sick animals. Ensure you are properly disposing of used PPE such as gloves and face masks to prevent contamination of clean spaces.

Implementing small steps create a big impact. You can significantly reduce the risk of disease outbreaks and protect human and animal health by implementing these essential biosecurity practices. Long-term sustainability of your livestock operation is dependent on making biosecurity a priority every day to protect your and your animals’ health.

For more information and resources on biosecurity practices, visit the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Biosecurity Webpages via the link below.

New ODA Website

ODA is thrilled to announce its new website launched Dec. 13, 2024. As part of the agency's commitment to modernization, customer service, and organizational excellence, the legacy website was retired and replaced by a new site with enhanced navigation features, a refreshed look and feel, and additional content to better serve our customers and the broader Oregon agricultural community.

ODA leadership is immensely grateful to everyone who supported this project, including those who participated in ODA's website feedback survey in 2023 and the card-sort activity earlier this year. One of the agency's primary goals for this project was to improve the user experience on ODA's website, and the public's input and suggestions were instrumental to this effort.

Explore ODA's new website! If you need help locating a specific page or encounter a bug or other error, please contact website@oda.oregon.gov.

Agriculture Can Be Stressful, But You Are Not Alone

Agriculture is an occupation full of potential stressors such as weather, changing economic markets, animal health and machinery breakdowns. When these start to compound, many farmers experience excessive amounts of stress, making it hard to remain positive and move forward through the hard times.

Due in part to these stresses, agricultural workers have high rates of suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing excessive stress or thoughts of suicide, please reach out to a confidential crisis support line.

Oregon State University and the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network is not a crisis center. If you are in need of immediate assistance, please reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255 or the AgriStress Helpline at 833-897-2474.

Announcements

Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) Advisory Committee Meeting

Date: April 11

Time: 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Location: ODA, 635 Capitol St NE, Salem, 97301

Contact: 503.986.4792; https://oda.direct/Meetings

Soil and Water Conservation Commission (SWCC) Meeting

Date: April 17-18

Time: 1-4:30 p.m. (April 17); 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (April 18)

Location: At CONNECT+​, Sunriver Resort, 17600 Center Drive, Sunriver

Contact: 971.304.8312; https://oda.direct/SWCC