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.
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.
The Economic Equity Investment Program made possible through SB 1579, has been instrumental in addressing these inequities by providing funding to support land ownership and entrepreneurship among historically underserved communities. With funding only approved through June 2025, it is crucial to maximize its impact. The collaboration between Good Rain Farm and EMSWCD demonstrates how targeted investments can create lasting change, ensuring resources and opportunities are accessible to communities that have been left out of traditional economic frameworks.”
EMSWCD works to secure the agricultural economy in East Multnomah County by ensuring that high-quality farmland remains available for use by current and future farmers. For farmers who intend to stay on the farm but still realize some of the real estate value of their property, EMSWCD can purchase a working farmland easement. And, for farmers in the market to sell their property, EMSWCD can purchase those properties and resell them to other farmers to avoid their conversion to development and other uses.
Local farmland is vital to our community, economy, food system, 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.
Farmers and landowners interested in learning more can contact Matt Shipkey at matt@emswcd.org or 971-271-9281.
