On this week’s podcast we talk with Rowan Steele, farmer, farm advocate, and Manager of the Headwaters Farm Business Incubator Program for the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District. Headwaters Farm is located just east of Portland, Oregon. As manager, Rowan supports experienced, conservation-forward farmers get their farm businesses off the ground. On this podcast we’ve interviewed several farmers who got their start via incubator farms, so we’re excited to hear more about how this concept works from someone who helps manage such a program.

The Headwaters Farm Business Incubator Program provides affordable land, infrastructure, and equipment, as well as training and technical assistance to beginning farmers. The goal is to address common barriers, such as access to capital, farm knowledge, networks and markets. The Headwaters Farm is a 60-acre site with irrigated crop land and shared facilities. The conversation covers the five-year program structure, the importance of financial viability, the criteria for selecting program participants, the transition process after graduation, the challenges farmers face today and more.

Connect With Guest:
Website: https://emswcd.org/farm-incubator/headwaters-farm/
Instagram: @emswcd

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