CASE STUDY
Oregon State University + Northwest & Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center
Project Background
In the fall of 2025, Oregon State University's Center for Resilient Agriculture & Food Systems offered scholarships of up to $2,000 to farms for business technical assistance aimed at improving business acumen and supply chain activities for post-harvest and value-added operations. Funds were provided by the USDA's Northwest & Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center.
With support from our trusted partners at PNW CSA, Taste the Local Difference was selected to help utilize remaining program funds before the initiative’s conclusion. Through this project, we provided digital audits, marketing plans, and website builds to 10 small-scale farms across the Pacific Northwest to strengthen their sales and online presence.
Our Approach
We offered a limited number of project types to keep things simple: new website builds, photography, or digital optimization plans.
While meeting with each of the farms to discuss their specific needs, we talked through the available services and helped them decide which project type was best for their business.
Once the farms made their decisions, our team got to work!
ABOUT THE OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR RESILIENT AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS
Through innovative research, collaborative partnerships, community-driven initiatives, and diverse perspectives, OSU’s Center for Resilient Agriculture & Food Systems aims to transform agriculture and food systems into a force for positive change. Their vision is to support a resilient agricultural system in Oregon that supports ecological health, social well-being, vibrant communities, and regional vitality.
The Awardees
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Astoria, Oregon
WORDPRESS WEBSITE UPDATES • EMAIL TEMPLATE • NEWSLETTER AUTOMATION
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Independence, Oregon
DIGITAL OPTIMIZATION PLAN
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Boring, Oregon
SINGLE-PAGE WEBSITE
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Lebanon, Oregon
SINGLE-PAGE WEBSITE
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Boring, Oregon
DIGITAL OPTIMIZATION PLAN
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Willamina, Oregon
DIGITAL OPTIMIZATION PLAN
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Monmouth, Oregon
DIGITAL OPTIMIZATION PLAN
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Portland, Oregon
DIGITAL OPTIMIZATION PLAN
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Portland, Oregon
PHOTOGRAPHY
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Portland, Oregon
DIGITAL OPTIMIZATION PLAN
“We’re really glad so many farm businesses were able to work with TLD through the Oregon TA scholarship program.”
-LAUREN GWIN, PhD, DIRECTOR
Lil Starts Farm
Lil Starts Farm opted for a Digital Audit & Optimization Plan to strengthen their online presence with clear, achievable improvements.
After an audit of their digital presence, including keyword analysis, competitor gap analysis, and search visibility research, we developed a multi-platform digital marketing strategy that included:
A defined target audience
Recommendations to optimize their site map, content planning, and CTA strategy
Google Business Profile recommendations
This kind of digital marketing strategy is ideal for improving online visibility and searchability while clarifying messaging and customer pathways. Ultimately, this will allow them to reach more customers and increase sales!
“Kelly at TLD was great to work with and helped establish a practical marketing plan. I specifically asked for help with SEO, and Kelly delivered a comprehensive and easy to understand document highlighting hundreds of search words and keywords, and where we, and farms with high searches, ranked. I am really excited to put these to use this winter when I spend time on our website and will use this data regularly to update our site, especially when we are promoting CSA sign-ups.”
-LILY MATLOCK & LUKE KLIMASZEWSKI, LIL STARTS CO-OWNERS
Grassward Dairy
The raw milk dairy needed a digital home that made it easier for customers to reserve their raw milk shares.
Using Squarespace, we designed a one-page website that highlighted their practices and values, while focusing on education to remove barriers to customers signing up for a milk share.
Please note that live websites may have had changes made by outside parties.
