Sedcore tells Polk County commissioners it is pursuing workforce housing, industrial land and AgTech pilots

Eric Anderson, a representative of Sedcore, and Alex Padaskavas, also with Sedcore, briefed the Polk County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 19 on business retention and recruitment efforts, workforce housing initiatives and several farm and entrepreneur support programs unfolding across Polk County and the Willamette Valley.

The update covered a range of economic-development activity: brokering new supply relationships for local food processors, outreach to engineered-wood and data-center developers, expansion of entrepreneur training and small grants funded by Business Oregon, and an AgTech accelerator pilot supported by the Ford Family Foundation to share trial costs with participating farmers.

Sedcore described a recent local supply-chain win: work to connect the Yamasa food processor with multiple regional growers so farmers can meet a premium specification for soy/wheat inputs. "We always enjoy this discussion and it's always good to provide an update on what's going on, sort of high level," Anderson said at the start of the presentation. Sedcore said Yamasa is paying above-commodity prices for product that meets higher protein and other specs and that the company is expanding its grower base in the valley.

The presenters also discussed work to support the region's engineered-wood cluster. Sedcore has engaged Freres Engineered Wood and introduced the company to developers working on industrial and warehouse space to encourage local mass-timber construction and to build more of the supply chain in the region.

Several commissioners pressed Sedcore about a continuing shortage of ready industrial land in the county. Presenters said state recruitment leads often seek large, greenfield sites of 50–150 acres and that many of Polk County's existing manufacturing properties are older and require specific buyers. Sedcore said it has noted multiple offers on at least one Forest River property and that other sites, including a 65-acre Dallas parcel with alleged rail access, remain complicated to market. The presentation noted a recent data-center pre-application meeting in Salem and that developers are asking for large parcels and reliable power capacity.

On housing, Sedcore summarized work begun after a workforce housing summit in April and later roundtables. The county and partners convened employers and developers, discussed systems development charges, zoning and finance barriers, and brought in the Missing Middle Housing Fund and the firm Urbanform to digitize development codes. Sedcore said Independence, Monmouth and Falls City are working on code digitization to make overlays and zoning easier for developers to navigate.

Sedcore outlined entrepreneur and small-business activity supported with state funds. The Latino entrepreneur program completed a 12-week cohort in Polk County with 31 graduates; Sedcore said Business Oregon funding through the Economic Equity Investment Program (EEIP) largely paid for the recent round. The agency reported distributing $33,000 in small implementation grants to local entrepreneurs but did not provide a clear, single count of how many businesses received awards (transcript language was ambiguous). Sedcore also said it secured Regional Innovation Hub funding to continue venture-catalyst work and to host pitch and investor events in the mid-Valley.

On agriculture and AgTech, Sedcore described a multi-year relationship with AgLaunch, an AgTech accelerator that places farmers in product development and gives them equity stakes in startups they host. Sedcore said roughly 70 farmers participate nationally in AgLaunch and that there are four participating farmers in the Willamette Valley with about 2.5 located in Polk County. Sedcore reported the first portfolio exit returned small equity payments to farmers and that the Ford Family Foundation provided pilot funding to cost-share the hard costs of field trials so farmers are not out-of-pocket for hardware or trial expenses.

Commissioners and Sedcore attendees raised concerns about processor consolidation and closures. Sedcore cited Pacific Natural Foods' sale and subsequent reductions in Oregon operations as an example of how fewer local processors can restrict markets for area crops. The presenters and commissioners also discussed tariffs, export support gaps for domestic market development, and how supply-chain disruptions and rising input costs complicate retention and recruitment.

The presentation closed by flagging several upcoming Sedcore events (industry tours, a popup food marketplace with the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, and an awards/ membership meeting) and by noting ongoing priorities: increasing industrial land inventory, advancing workforce housing solutions, supporting entrepreneurs, and expanding AgTech trials and farmer–processor connections. Sedcore said it intends to host a field day next year to show trial results and to invite commissioners and other partners.

No new policy or binding commitments were made during the briefing; Sedcore's report was informational and commissioners asked staff to stay engaged on industrial land strategies, housing barriers and AgTech pilot outcomes.