Category Archives: Rural Lands

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 →

Office hours

Office Hours Horse

We’re coming to you, virtually!

Join Jeremy for a live (and free) one on one discussion about your farm. Bring your questions and explore strategies and solutions around:

  • Management of livestock
  • Pasture care and grazing management
  • Mud management
  • Manure management and composting
  • Cropping and cover cropping
  • Integrated Pest Management- using beneficial plants to attract beneficial bugs
  • Soil health and how to take a soil sample
  • Irrigation systems and water management to reduce your costs
  • Noxious weed control
  • Natural areas and planting for wildlife and birds
  • General farm planning

Sessions will be scheduled for 50 minutes but may require additional time. You can work with Jeremy to schedule follow up visits as needed.

Make an online appointment with us!

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    Have questions?

    Contact Jeremy Baker at:
    (503) 488-9939
    jeremy@emswcd.org

    Our StreamCare program has planted half a million plants!

    staff and contractors staking native plants at a site along Johnson Creek

    On February 9th, EMSWCD planted its 500,000th native plant through its StreamCare program, marking twelve years of planting native trees and shrubs to improve stream health and help salmon throughout eastern Multnomah County!

    StreamCare has been plugging away planting native trees and shrubs along streams in Gresham, Corbett and Troutdale since 2009, working together with more than 200 landowners that have voluntarily enrolled in the program. Our Executive Director Nancy Hamilton says of the program: “Our crews are able to transform stream fronts from blackberry brambles to thriving native forests that attract wildlife, protect water quality, and build more resilient communities.” Watch our brand new video below highlighting the milestone planting!

    The main goal of StreamCare is creating shade. As the trees mature, they cast their shadows over the stream, lowering the temperature of the water. “It’s mostly to benefit salmon,” says Lucas Nipp, our StreamCare program manager. “Salmon need cool water. Most of the streams in our area are far too warm for healthy salmon.” Read more →

    EMSWCD featured in COLT “State of the Lands” report

    cover image for COLT 2020 report

    EMSWCD’s Headwaters Farm and Mainstem Farm were both featured in the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT) “State of the Lands” 2020 report! The feature covers our Headwaters Incubator Program, which leases land and equipment to farmers launching their new farm businesses, and details how a graduate of the program is now farming on the adjacent Mainstem Farm, which was acquired by EMSWCD through its Working Farmland Protection Program.

    There are also ten other features in the report detailing the work and successes of land trusts and other organizations working to protect vital natural lands in Oregon.

    Read the COLT report here.

    StreamCare enrollment now open in new watersheds – Buck Creek and Bonnie Brook

    Since 2009, the StreamCare Program has worked with over 200 landowners to remove weeds and plant native trees and shrubs along their streams for free. Over that time, StreamCare has been available in four priority watersheds in eastern Multnomah County. We are now offering this program in two new watersheds: Buck Creek and Bonnie Brook.

    Flyers were recently mailed to eligible landowners in the new watersheds. To learn more, contact Julie DiLeone at (503) 539-5764 or julie@emswcd.org. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are not able to conduct site visits at this time, but are encouraging folks to call, email, or text now to get on the list so we can get the process started and make sure your space is reserved. Find out more about the StreamCare Program here.

    From our farmers: Farm Punk Salads

    Quinn and Theus of Farm Punk Salads pose at their booth

    This is a farmer-contributed post in our “From our farmers” series, and was contributed by Quinn Richards of Farm Punk Salads, one of the farmers enrolled in our Farm Incubator Program.

    Starting a farm these days is much different that perhaps it used to be. With a competitive marketplace in the Portland Metro area for small scale farming, we at Farm Punk Salads see a couple of things as key to developing a farm. We see identifying and cultivating a niche market, getting specific about the crops we grow, cultivating financial literacy, and building a personality within our brand to make our farm memorable as our main ways to building our business.

    We wanted to make a farm that got people excited about eating salad, for it was our experience falling in love with salad that inspired us to focus on salad. Salad has all the things that we love so much. It’s raw and fresh, its quick and easy to make, it is what we are passionate about growing, and pretty much any diet supports eating lots of salad. It felt like the universal thing there was a need for in Portland and something that we could pair with a value-added product to give consumers a whole package. It was because of this that we chose to start a salad specific farm and produce a line of salad dressings.

    Before we started our farm, we spent a lot of time thinking about what we might want to grow and how we think we might sell the vegetables. To grow crops is one thing and to sell them is often another. It was in the distance between these two points that we saw was a hang-up point for many small farms. After our time working on another Portland CSA-based farm, we took it as an opportunity to collect feedback from folks. What did they like about their CSA? What would they like to see improved? One of most common things we heard was “But what do I do with it?” or “I just don’t have enough time to cook all of these things.” We saw salad as an opportunity to create a product for people that would be quick and convenient but still support local food. “Let’s be a one-stop-salad-shop,” we thought. Let’s create a CSA that has all the needed ingredients to make a meal without a trip to the store. Read more →

    2017 Agricultural Census Demonstrates Need for EMSWCD’s Working Farmland Initiatives

    rows of vegetables at Headwaters Farm, and a row of greenhouses in the background

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the final 2017 Census of Agriculture figures in mid-April; statistics for all of Multnomah County are available here. The census findings highlight the importance of EMSWCD’s working farmland protection efforts, as Multnomah County lost 15% of its farmland from 2012 to 2017 – or about 2.5 acres a day.

    Farmers in Multnomah County are on average 2 years younger than their peers across Oregon and the US, which is reinforced by our Headwaters Incubator Program for new and beginning farmers. And with the average per-acre value of agricultural land and buildings increasing 75% in Multnomah County to the second highest of any county in Oregon, the importance of our work to improve access to affordable farmland is greater than ever.

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