EWF would like to express appreciation to the Oregon Community Food System Network (OCFSN) and the Oregon Legislature for their support of Oregon’s small farmers. We participate in the Oregon Community Food System Network and recognize the important role it plays in assisting, guiding and protecting Oregon’s small farmers. This grant was a welcome surprise since this initiative provides critical funding for us and other vulnerable farmers and ranchers across Oregon.
We were humbled that this grant program prioritized small and historically underserved farmers and ranchers in Oregon counties most impacted by drought. Elderberry Wisdom Farm fulfills both of these criteria. We help Native American and other students of color strengthen their career pathway planning into agricultural, horticultural and other career fields. We also live in the drought-stricken South Salem Hills with its volcanic soil which drains rapidly in the summer making crops vulnerable.
As a result of this grant and assistance from another partner, the Dry Farm Institute, our interns are learning about smart irrigation and drought farming. Marsha Holt-Kingsley, our Native Plant Nursery Specialist and our irrigation contractor are showing the interns how to plan the construction of the new smart irrigation system we are installing. We will be able to irrigate our new two-acre native plant nursery using cistern storage and use a climate-smart micro-spray system along with moisture sensors to protect our Native plant starts. We plan to start construction in mid-May and complete it in June before the dry season begins.
Thanks again to the Oregon Community Food System Network, through their Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant program, and to the Dry Farm Institute. We are so grateful to have this support and appreciate that farmers of color and under underrepresented producers have been prioritized.
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