Category Archives: Working Farmland Protection Program

EMSWCD and Good Rain Farm partner on the protection of 14-acre Forever Farm

Good Rain Farm and East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (EMSWCD) have teamed up to create a 14-acre “Forever Farm” in Troutdale. EMSWCD helped facilitate the purchase by Good Rain Farm and added a working farmland easement which ensures the farm will always remain in active farm use, even if the property is sold to a different owner in the future. The easement ensures the farm remains in the ownership of farmers and is affordable to future farmers.

A man with dark hair and glasses stands next to a woman with long brown hair. They are holding up some papers and smiling.

Protecting Good Rain Farm gets big smiles from buyer Michelle Week and Matt Shipkey, the District’s Land Legacy Program Manager

Michelle Week has spent the past five years participating in EMSWCD’s Headwaters Farm Business Incubator Program. The program makes land and equipment more affordable for experienced farmers with limited resources. The 60-acre Headwaters Farm is located near Gresham. The site includes 15 acres along the North Fork of Johnson Creek the district is actively restoring to improve water quality and fish and wildlife habitat.

Good Rain x̌ast sq̓it (hast squeit) translates to Good Rain in the traditional language of the sngaytskstx (Sinixt) the Arrow Lakes Peoples. Farm Founder Michelle Week is of Sinixt ancestry. Weeks believes that through connection to a place we can rebuild a culture of respect, honor, gratitude and reciprocity. Learn more: https://www.goodrainfarm.com/

“Our Working Farmland Protection Program helps protect farmland and supports local farmers and growers to operate sustainable businesses,” explains Kelley Beamer, Executive Director of EMSWCD. “As farmland acreage becomes scarcer and more expensive, we work to preserve farmland and make it more affordable for future generations of farmers.”

Michelle Week holds food sovereignty, empowerment, concern for community and honorable stewardship of the land as the farm’s founding principles. Says Week, “At x̌ast sq̓it Farm we explore our relationship with this land, we decolonize and question our notions of ‘food” and ‘nourishment’. We begin conversation, build awareness, and look forward to a Good Rain that will feed our ecosystems, community and self.”

The Northwest Native Chamber also provided funding for this farmland access project. “Investing in assets, such as farmland or property, is a critical step for Native enterprises to improve long-term access to capital. For many Native-led businesses and communities, the lack of intergenerational wealth — a common barrier due to historical dispossession and systemic inequities—makes such investments essential for creating and sustaining economic opportunities. By securing tangible assets, we assist Native entrepreneurs to build lasting economic resilience, access better financing options, and establish businesses that can thrive for generations. Read more →

Exciting farm purchase opportunity in Corbett, Oregon

Arial view of farm land, three large areas with tidy rows of light green crops. Forest and mountains in the background.

45-acre property for sale in Corbett has a long history of commercial vegetable production.

A great farm property for purchase at a discounted price; the property listing can be found here. The 45.88-acre property has great farm soils with a fully certificated surface water right to 37 acres and public water available to the site’s remainder. Offers are being accepted through November 6th.

The property has an older barn structure and some existing farm roads but limited other farm infrastructure and no residence. It will be sold subject to a working farmland easement, which will result in a reduced list price of $650,000. The sale price is discounted to reflect the value of that easement. All inquiries should be directed to the listing brokers, Chris Kelly and Jamey Nedelisky of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices NW Real Estate at (503) 666-4616.

Online Info Session

We held an online information session about our goals for this property, the eligibility requirements, and how offers will be evaluated.

Information session presentation 

Questions and Answers notes

Our Working Farmland Protection Program provides current and future generations of farmers with access to farmland in East Multnomah County and is helping make land for farming more affordable. One way we do this is by buying farm properties with no clear succession plan – like this property – and then reselling them to farmers at a discount. This property will be sold with a working farmland easement significantly reducing the list price. The easement will ensure the farm remains in farmer ownership, continues to be actively farmed, and remains affordable to future generations of farmers.

The sale proceeds will be used by EMSWCD to protect additional working farm properties and help ensure farmers continue to have access to high-quality affordable farmland in our district. Read more →

We listened to farmers and made some changes to our working farmland program 

a tractor in near-silhouette against a dramatically lit sky with dust glowing in the setting sunlight. The tractor is next to a structure on the right, and a farm field and distant trees are visible to the left

Ensuring a future for agriculture in East Multnomah County.

EMSWCD is working to ensure a future for agriculture in East Multnomah County. Our farming community has let us know farmland is getting harder and more expensive to access. We have been responding to that challenge by working with local landowners to protect farmland for current and future generations of farmers. Farmers can also receive financial support and technical assistance from us to plan for the future – whether that’s continuing to farm, passing a farm to the next generation, or selling it to another farmer.

2023 Survey of Potential Participants
Recently, our “Forever Farm” program got some updates with input gathered from one-on-one interviews with more than 30 local farmers and landowners in our district. We engaged Stamberger Consulting to help us understand how to improve our working farmland protection efforts. 

Based on what we heard, we made some changes:

  1. Removed the requirement for agricultural management plans for new working farmland protection easements
  2. Revised our approach to working farmland easements on commercial nursery operations. Whereas previously we would not acquire working farmland easements on properties with active “ball and burlap” operations, we will now do so
  3. Making working farmland easement purchase offer amounts more financially attractive

In addition to collecting valuable information and insights, the survey project helped us connect with farmers in the district. It has helped us build interest and increase peer-to-peer referrals. New project leads were generated through the survey outreach. Read more →

Public hearing notice regarding conservation easement on July 3rd, 2024

a grassy field with tree in the background a wood fence in the foreground

EMSWCD’s working farmland protection program works to provide current and future generations of farmers with access to farmland in East Multnomah County and make land for farming more affordable. Our collaborations with existing farmers help unlock opportunities for the next generation of farmers to steward these special farm properties.

Local farmland is vital to our community, economy, food systems and environment. Farmland fuels our rural economy, nourishes people with fresh, locally grown food, and enables us to enjoy the vibrant rural landscapes that make Oregon special.

EMSWCD will hold a virtual public hearing on July 3rd, 2024, at 1:00 PM in connection with the acquisition of a working farmland easement to encumber a property located at 33560 SE Carpenter Lane, Gresham, OR 97080 and identified as tax parcel number 1S4E21D -00500. This easement will ensure the agricultural resource values of the property are protected in perpetuity. This particular transaction will additionally incorporate easement terms that guarantee the farm property remains affordable to and in the ownership of farmers.

Interested persons may submit written testimony before the hearing to Matt Shipkey at matt@emswcd.org, or may attend the hearing by joining the meeting via computer or smart phone here or by calling United States (Toll Free): 1 (571) 317-3112 with Access Code: 416-726-341.

Additional information on the working farmland easement may be obtained by contacting Matt Shipkey, Land Legacy Program Manager at (503) 935 5374 or matt@emswcd.org.

Meeting attendees requiring Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations should call (503) 222-7645 x 100 ASAP. To better serve you, five (5) business days prior to the event is preferred.

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.

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!

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