Oregon Department of Agriculture

What Oregon Department of Agriculture does

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is a state government agency under the State of Oregon, founded in 1931 and headquartered in Salem, Oregon. It operates with 501-1,000 employees and serves Oregon's agricultural sector, food industry, and broader public by maintaining and improving the state's agricultural, food, and natural resource systems. Its mandate encompasses regulatory oversight of agricultural and food sectors, plant health and pest management, and stewardship of natural resources within the state, with operations confined to Oregon.

The agency runs long-running field programs, including biological pest management initiatives such as the cinnabar moth release program originally initiated around 1960 to control toxic tansy ragwort. It engages in cooperative research with academic partners; for example, it partners with Oregon State University to monitor ecological outcomes of biological control efforts, including unintended feeding on native mountain wildflowers. As a government entity, it does not operate a commercial revenue model: it is funded through state appropriations, federal pass-throughs, and applicable program fees rather than market-priced products or services. No product portfolio, M&A activity, pricing mechanics, or commercial customer segments are disclosed in the source data, consistent with its public-sector status.

Its strategic posture is defined by its regulatory mandate and inter-agency collaboration rather than market competition. The agency's competitive position rests on its statutory authority as Oregon's primary agricultural regulator, embedded field presence across the state, and institutional continuity spanning nearly a century. There are no documented funding rounds, acquisitions, product launches, AI/ML capabilities, or commercial expansion efforts in the provided data; the operating footprint remains Oregon-only with no stated global or multi-state ambitions.

Name

Oregon Department of Agriculture

Legal name

Oregon Department of Agriculture

Website

https://oregon.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is a state government agency under the State of Oregon, headquartered in Salem, that regulates Oregon's agricultural and food sectors and stewards related natural resources for the state's producers, food businesses, and public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government agricultural regulation

NAICS

Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (926140), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Agricultural Chemicals (2870), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration (BPAIABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pesticide & Agricultural Chemical Health Regulators (HLAJAFAG)

Keywords

• Agricultural regulation
• Food safety oversight
• Plant protection programs
• Biological pest control
• Invasive species management

Headquarters

HQ city

Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Core offering

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is a state government agency that regulates and supports Oregon's agricultural and food sectors, focused on maintaining and improving healthy natural resources. Its work includes agricultural and food regulation, plant protection, and biological pest control programs such as the cinnabar moth program for managing toxic tansy ragwort.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biological pest control programs State-administered biological control of invasive and toxic plant species, including the long-running program using cinnabar moth caterpillars to suppress tansy ragwort; monitored for unintended ecological effects on native mountain wildflowers such as arrowleaf groundsel. Targeted at agricultural producers, land managers, and the public within Oregon.
• Agricultural and food regulatory services Core regulatory oversight of Oregon's agricultural and food sectors to maintain and improve healthy natural resources, delivered to producers, food-sector operators, and residents across Oregon.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Oregon State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative research partnership between Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Agriculture to monitor the extent of unintended feeding by cinnabar moth caterpillars on native mountain wildflowers (arrowleaf groundsel). The partnership continues to monitor the ecological impact before determining whether changes to the biological control program are warranted.

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Texas Department of Agriculture: State agriculture agency overseeing pest management, pesticide regulation, and rural programs across a large agricultural geography. Directly comparable in core functional mandate to ODA.
• California Department of Food and Agriculture: Larger-scale state agriculture agency with overlapping responsibilities in pest exclusion, pesticide regulation, and biological control. Comparable in functional scope despite California's significantly larger agricultural sector and budget.
• Washington State Department of Agriculture: Neighboring Pacific Northwest state agriculture agency with near-identical mandate covering crop production, pest management, food safety, and agricultural chemical regulation. Operates under analogous statutory authority and serves a comparable agricultural economy.
• Colorado Department of Agriculture: State agriculture agency with regulatory, inspection, and pest management programs structurally similar to ODA's. Comparable in scope and serves a state with significant specialty crop and livestock production.
• New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets: State agriculture agency administering food safety, plant industry, and agricultural regulatory programs. Functionally parallel to ODA despite operating in a different climate and crop profile.
• Idaho State Department of Agriculture: Regional state agriculture department with similar oversight of plant industries, pesticide use, and pest management. Directly comparable in scale and mandate, serving an agricultural economy adjacent to Oregon's.
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Large state agriculture agency with comparable regulatory, pest management, and consumer protection mandates. Similar organizational structure to ODA but at significantly greater scale.

Broad incumbents

• USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: Federal-level agency overseeing plant protection, pest management, and agricultural chemical regulation nationwide. Operates as a broader incumbent that overlaps and partners with ODA's pest management functions.

Regional players

• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: Companion Oregon state agency administering environmental regulations that intersect with ODA's agricultural and natural resource mandate. Comparable in governance structure but focused on environmental quality rather than agriculture specifically.

Others

• Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences: Academic research partner that collaborates with ODA on pest management and biological control monitoring. Comparable as a peer institution through its applied agricultural research and extension role that mirrors some ODA program areas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ORagriculture
• Facebookfacebook.com/ORAgriculture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agriculture-oregon-department-of

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oregon Department of Agriculture