Investing in Resilience: 2026 On-Farm Efficiency Grant Recipients
Every winter, while the fields of Central Oregon rest, local farmers begin preparing for the growing season ahead. This year, their planning comes with an extra measure of support. The High Desert Food & Farm Alliance (HDFFA) has awarded $25,000 in funding to help ten local farms invest in their systems for improved efficiency, sustainability, and climate resilience.
Through HDFFA’s On-Farm Efficiency Grant (OFEG) program, small farms across the region are investing in the resources they need to thrive. Whether it’s building new greenhouses, adding solar power, improving food safety, or upgrading storage and processing, each project reflects a shared goal: to make local farming more sustainable, for today and for the future.
As Sam Shafer of Amethyst Organics put it, “Given Central Oregon’s short growing season and unpredictable weather events, this investment is not just an improvement – it’s a mandatory step to secure economic and climate resilience for our operation.” Sam’s sentiment echoes what so many small producers are feeling across the region: that resilience and adaptation are no longer optional; they’re essential.
Running a farm in Central Oregon takes equal parts love, grit, and resourcefulness. Rising costs for supplies and infrastructure, tighter margins, and unpredictable weather patterns make even essential upgrades difficult to afford. That’s where the On-Farm-Efficiency Grant comes in. This grant offers flexible and specific funding that supports the needs of each farm. Grants like OFEG do much more than pay for new equipment or building upgrades. They help ensure the viability and long-term sustainability of local farms, creating impacts that strengthen the entire high desert food system.
Below is a brief overview of the 2026 On-Farm Efficiency Grant–funded projects and the innovative ways local farmers are strengthening sustainability, efficiency, and resilience across Central Oregon.
Amethyst Organics, a new farm in Bend, will build a greenhouse and fertility systems to extend the growing season, increase productivity, reduce water use, and improve soil health.
The Crow’s Croft is upgrading to a large upright freezer, which will improve efficiency, cut food waste and emissions, and ensure consistent, high-quality pork and lard production.
Fibonacci Farm is upgrading their tomato trellising system and investing in a flame weeder, which will increase production efficiencies and support long-term sustainability of the farm.
Fields Farm is building a propagation greenhouse that will double plant-starting capacity with reclaimed materials, improving germination efficiency while minimizing environmental impact.
Juniper Hollow Homestead is improving multi-species rotational grazing systems with fencing and tractor repair, which improves pasture health and livestock welfare practices.
Lost Grace Farm is building a solar-powered outbuilding for year-round hatching, brooding, and plant starting, sustainably extending the farm’s production season.
Over Yonder Farm, a new farm in Sisters, is building hoop houses, extending the growing season, increasing efficiency, supporting climate resilience, and bolstering environmental health.
Red Dog Farm is upgrading wash-pack infrastructure, improving food safety, efficiency, and capacity to meet restaurant and community needs.
Root Down Acres is purchasing a mobile aluminum chicken coop, which provides security for pastured hens, reduces feed loss, protects against disease, and enables rotational grazing.
Sage and Stone Butchery is upgrading their poultry-processing facility with transport crates, ice machines, and a closed-loop wastewater system.
HDFFA’s 2026 On-Farm Efficiency Grant was made possible by the generous support of a local community member. Community contributions are essential to ensure HDFFA can continue providing vital resources to Central Oregon farmers and ranchers through the On-Farm Efficiency Grant in the years ahead. To help support the 2027 OFEG grant cycle, please contact Executive Director Kristin Points at kristin@hdffa.org.
