Category Archives: Rural Lands

NRCS Local Work Group Meeting on February 29th

NRCS’s Local Work Group Meeting has been scheduled and your participation is requested!

Agricultural producers – farmers, ranchers, foresters, nursery growers and other land managers- in Clackamas and Multnomah Counties are encouraged to attend. The meeting is being offered in a hybrid format (virtual and in person) and registration is required for either option, details below.

What is a Local Work Group Meeting?

Each year, local NRCS field offices around the state hold a Local Work Group Meeting. These meetings provide an opportunity for NRCS staff to hear from the people they serve in their communities. Local landowners and conservation partners know first-hand about the natural resource needs in their area. This locally-led process helps inform conservation priorities and strategies across Oregon. Learn more here.

Feedback provided by growers will enable NRCS to update the county Long Range Plan and develops new Conservation Implementation Strategies to address identified resource concerns.  Read more →

Free farm succession workshop on October 26th

sunset over distant hills and trees, and in the foreground are crops with a line of sprinklers running

Sunset over a field of crops

Have you secured your farm’s future? We can help! Join us for a free farm succession planning workshop and lunch Thursday, October 26th, 2023 at the Multnomah Grange (30639 SE Bluff Road, Gresham, OR 97080). Check-in starts at 9:00 AM and the program runs from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM.

RSVP here! RSVP required by October 18th.

Questions? Contact Andrea Krahmer at (503) 789-2467 or Andrea@oregonagtrust.org

Brought to you by East Multnomah and Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Oregon Agricultural Trust, and Oregon Small Business Development Center.

Headwaters Farm Open House

Image of indoor farm

Please join us at the Headwaters Farm Business Incubator open house!

Date: Tues, Oct 10th
Time: 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Location:
Headwaters Farm
28600 SE Orient Dr.
Gresham, Or 97080

We’re throwing open the barn doors to give our farm friends & agricultural community an inside look at the Headwaters property.

  • Tour the farm
  • See firsthand the resources Headwaters offers farmers
  • Meet past and present farmers and Headwaters staff
  • Enjoy refreshments on us

Read more →

EMSWCD helps protect Shaull property

A grove of Douglas fir trees and a future access way at the Former Shaull property

EMSWCD was pleased to partner with the City of Gresham and Metro to acquire and preserve the former Shaull property in the Grant Butte area! This 8-acre property builds upon our previous investments in the surrounding area and further protects the water quality of the adjoining Fairview Creek headwaters and wetlands complex. It will also set the stage for improved access to the adjacent Southwest Community Park.

Learn more about this project here!

OSU Extension’s Regenerative Pasture Management workshops

Join OSU Extension for an engaging and informative two-part course on Regenerative Pasture Management! You’ll hear from Dr. Shayan Ghajar, Organic Pasture and Forages Specialist from OSU Extension, and Jackson Morgan, Farm Specialist with Polk Soil & Water Conservation District.

When: December 14th and 21st from 6:00 – 7:15 PM
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free

Visit this link to register

Part 1:

  • Setting goals for your pastures
  • Selecting/identifying pasture species
  • Understanding soil health and how it affects pasture plants
  • An introduction to the pasture calendar
  • Mud and manure management

Part 2:

  • Balancing forage production with livestock forage demands
  • Determining when to graze
  • How to gauge if your pasture management is meeting your goals
  • Assistance available for farmers and land stewards

OSU Extension’s Wildfire Wednesday webinar series

graphic showing a forest and hills in silhouette, saying "Fire Aware. Fire Prepared."

“OSU Extension Fire Program’s Wildfire Wednesdays webinar sessions are back this fall! These weekly webinars offer important information on fire safety and preparedness, and related actions people can take to make their homes and landscapes safer. The workshops will run through December 8th, 2021. Visit the Online Webinar Guide on the Fire Program website for more information:

View the Online Webinar Guide here.

Remaining workshops:

  • November 10th: 2021 Fire Season – A learning opportunity
  • November 17th: Prioritizing your home hardening approach
  • November 24th: Thanksgiving BREAK – no webinar
  • December 1st: From the home to the landscape (defensible space): Fall Edition
  • December 8th: Prescribed fire

One year update: solar power at Headwaters Farm

aerial angled view of two structures at Headwaters Farm, including a barn in the foreground and a storage shed in the background, with solar-panel-covered roofs visible on both structures

Thanks to a 2019 Renewable Development Fund grant (RDF) from Portland General Electric, EMSWCD was able to purchase and install a 70kW photovoltaic system at Headwaters Farm. The solar panels were installed on two structures on the farm and began feeding electricity into the grid in April of 2020. In its first year of solar production, the renewable energy system generated 84 megawatt-hours, or enough to offset around 90% of the farm’s annual electricity consumption! This equated to a savings on the farm’s electricity bills of just under $10,000 for the year.

The Headwaters solar project was made possible with support from the PGE Renewable Development Fund, which contributed $55,566 towards the $155,374 total project cost. The Energy Trust of Oregon also contributed $23,715. Together over 50% of the project’s cost was covered by the Energy Trust and PGE’s RDF funds, with the balance coming from EMSWCD.

Nancy Hamilton, EMSWCD’s Executive Director, said of the project: “We are excited to be generating electricity at the farm and reducing our carbon footprint. And we are very grateful to PGE and their Green Future customers, as well as the Energy Trust of Oregon, for helping to make this solar project happen. The Headwaters Farm solar installation is an important demonstration opportunity for our farmers and visitors to Headwaters Farm, and the wider community we serve. The project also made a lot of sense for us financially.” Read more →

1 2 3 4 … 7