Planning on starting a Micro-greens farm to sell mainly to restaurants in Portland, What license? - Ask Extension
I'm about to move into a brand new house in Washington county (Beaverton/Aloha area) and I am planing on using one of the rooms upstair for indoor agr...
Knowledgebase
Planning on starting a Micro-greens farm to sell mainly to restaurants in Portland, What license? #635266
Asked May 14, 2020, 12:26 AM EDT
I'm about to move into a brand new house in Washington county (Beaverton/Aloha area) and I am planing on using one of the rooms upstair for indoor agriculture. Specifically Micro-greens to be sold directly to restaurants in Portland and possibly a few local grocers/farmers markets. There are so many different Licenses I'm not sure which ones I need. Below is everything about my process from start to finish so you fully understand. The only people involved would be me and sometimes my wife.
Purchasing seeds in bulk online (If you know very good places for inexpensive seeds I'm listening). Growing a variety of micro-greens such as sunflower, chives, & broccoli in organic potting soil (Fox Farms) in 1" 1020 trays. Trays will be on metal shelves off the floor with T5 lights for growing. Water used will be dechlorinated tap water. Once trays are ready I plan on selling entire tray's to restaurants but will also have a Quick Green Cutter for processing micro-greens into individual bags using a Licensed scale, plastic bags, and a bag taper.
If this is all I plan on selling, Full Treys and cut/bagged micro-greens, what Licenses do I need? Any help is appreciated.
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
Thank you for your question.
Here is information from the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Farm Direct Marketing Bill.
https://www.oregon.gov/ODA/shared/Documents/Publications/FoodSafety/FarmDirectMarketingAgProducts.pdf
You do not need a license to grow and sell micro greens and mushrooms if you are selling direct to consumer (farmers market, restaurant, CSA, etc). You would need to comply with the rules of the farmers market, restaurant, etc. The federal government passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which is designed to put preventive practices in place to ensure food safety. There is an exemption to this law depending on the size of the operation. Operations making $25,000 or less a year are exempt from many of the rules, but obviously not exempt from keeping food safe.
It is advisable to follow GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) regulations in order to ensure you are raising your product as safely as possible.
You can also call the Oregon Department of Agriculture Food Safety Division at <personal data hidden> for specific questions related to your operation.
Please email me at <personal data hidden> if you'd like to discuss this further.
Here is information from the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Farm Direct Marketing Bill.
https://www.oregon.gov/ODA/shared/Documents/Publications/FoodSafety/FarmDirectMarketingAgProducts.pdf
You do not need a license to grow and sell micro greens and mushrooms if you are selling direct to consumer (farmers market, restaurant, CSA, etc). You would need to comply with the rules of the farmers market, restaurant, etc. The federal government passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which is designed to put preventive practices in place to ensure food safety. There is an exemption to this law depending on the size of the operation. Operations making $25,000 or less a year are exempt from many of the rules, but obviously not exempt from keeping food safe.
It is advisable to follow GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) regulations in order to ensure you are raising your product as safely as possible.
You can also call the Oregon Department of Agriculture Food Safety Division at <personal data hidden> for specific questions related to your operation.
Please email me at <personal data hidden> if you'd like to discuss this further.
