Headwaters Farm Business Incubator
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What is the Headwaters Farm Business Incubator?
Nestled just outside of Gresham, Oregon, is our 60-acre Headwaters Farm, owned and managed by EMSWCD since 2013.
Headwaters Farm serves as a launchpad for new farm businesses with limited resources by providing participants affordable access to farmland, equipment, peer networks and other important resources.
Lowering Barriers to Farm Access
Why a Farm Business Incubator?
The high cost of farmland in Multnomah County impacts who can and can’t farm. With farmers across Oregon averaging 60 years in age, there is a critical need to create pathways for establishing new farms. EMSWCD strives for a robust and vibrant farm community that ensures local farmland is in production and well-stewarded.
Lowering Costs
Headwaters Farm Business Incubator is a low-cost five-year program that reduces common barriers to starting a farm business.
- Capital
- Learning
- Farm Networks
- Markets
Headwaters – By the Numbers
44
Headwaters Farm Businesses Since 20213
24
Graduate Farms
8
Current Farms
12
Non-Grads
90%
Graduate Farms Still In Production
61%
Current and Past Farmers Identify as Women
14%
Current and Past Farmers are Immigrants or Refugees
27%
Current and Past Farmers Identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color
Apply to Headwaters Farm
The Headwaters Farm Business Incubator program is seeking experienced, conservation-focused small-scale growers who are interested in establishing conservation-focused farm businesses.
Headwaters Farm Application Materials
Questions?
Get in touch with EMSWCD and check out the 2025 Farmers Manual.
Contact Rowan Steele, Headwaters Farm Program Manager:
We are not currently accepting applications. The application period will begin October 1 and run through November 30.
Who Should Apply?
We are seeking experienced growers who want to establish long-term, conservation-focused farm businesses in our region.
The strongest candidates have at least three years of farming experience, with one or more seasons of farm management (for example, overseeing farm crews and/or farm systems, like propagation and cultivation).
EMSWCD values diversity and equity within our incubator program, and actively supports farmers who reflect and support the multicultural community of East Multnomah County, one of the most diverse areas in Oregon. We encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds and traditionally underserved communities to apply.
The typical program participant is a small-scale, diversified farm operation, growing higher-value crops sold directly to consumers, and usually – but not always – with supplemental off-farm income.
Crops and livestock grown at Headwaters Farm in the past:
Diversified vegetables
Cut flowers
Medicinal & culinary herbs
Plant starts
Strawberries
Native plants
