The Origins of Oregon Valley Farm

The Oregon valley farm story starts with Josh Parker … a rather ordinary guy living in Eugene Oregon.

Like a lot of people Josh kind of hates his day job.  It feeds the family…but it doesn’t feed his soul.

On the weekends Josh starts helping his parents on their recently purchased small farm.

Josh starts to really enjoy the farm life.  And soon he discovers he has found his new calling.

He moves to the farm, and starts to connect with other local farmers.

Soon he would discover a stark contrast between the commercial meat industry, and the practices of the local farmers he had come to admire.

The commercial meat industry, Josh learned, was focused almost exclusively on profit with surprisingly little concern for the health of the people and animals.  Animals were frequently raised in cramped and unsanitary conditions, pumped full of antibiotics, and fed unnatural diets. This stark reality deeply troubled Josh.

Much of the meat was imported from other countries where the standards for raising it were unknown.  Much of the beef labeled grass-fed came from overseas where it is sometimes frozen for 6 months before arriving in the USA and being sold as fresh.

Animals are “finished” in feed lots where the conditions are cramped & disgusting…as shown in many documentaries. Josh visited one of these feedlots and was immediately depressed. It didn’t seem like this was the appropriate way to raise animals.

But living in the beautiful countryside of pristine Oregon, Josh found there was also a different story unfolding.

The Oregon farmers Josh had befriended raised their animals with respect and care. Cattle grazed on lush pastures. Chickens roamed freely in open fields. Pigs were raised outside where they could wallow in the mud. These farmers understood the importance of sustainable and ethical practices.

There was simply no comparison to the other story…the one of commercialized meat production. Of depressing conditions where sick animals are pushed through a meat factory after spending their lives in cramped and filthy conditions. Many documentaries have been made to try and bring awareness of these realities to families who consume this meat.

But it got worse.

These farmers who loved raising their animals the way they felt God had intended…Josh & his new friends. They were spending their days in a labor of love…delivering meat they were proud to share with their family & neighbors.

But they were struggling to compete with the giant food conglomerates, and their factory farms. The conglomerates could get more meat production from the same amount of land by ignoring the conditions for the animals, and fattening them at the end of their lives in feed lots.

And it turns out that even though there were lots of local families who would prefer to buy their meet from local farmers…there was no way for them to do so unless they purchased large quantities.  This was impractical for most of them.  They just didn’t have the freezer space to store half a cow.

And that’s when Josh had an idea. What if he brought the meat from these Oregon farmers directly to families?

That’s when Oregon Valley Farm was born.

Oregon Valley Farm would connect these passionate farmers directly with families, bypassing the exploitative commercial system.

Farmers received fair prices for their ethically raised meat, allowing them to continue their sustainable practices. Consumers gained access to premium, responsibly sourced products they could feel good about feeding their families.

Oregon Valley Farm would become the heart of a community, connecting ethical farmers and conscientious families, a win-win solution.

The rest is a journey that we hope you will share with us.  People really can make a difference when they work together for good.  We are proud to be on this journey with you.