Skyler Howe

designer + creative communicator

The introductory class sequence at the University of Oregon's journalism school is called Gateway. It is a three course sequence that covers two terms. In the first term, students chose one issue and create four projects (written, audio, video, photo) around that one issue. The issue that I chose was access to organic food in Oregon. Through my research and interviewing, I was able to learn a lot about organic farming and the reasons why it is not accessible to all communities, and I met many interesting people who were able to help teach me even more. Take a peek at the fruits (ha!) of my labor below.

Video: Megan Richter of Positive Community Kitchen tells the inspiring story of this Eugene, Oregon-based organization.

Audio: Krystal Abrams tells the story of Beyond Toxics, an environmental group that works to end the use of pesticides. Though Abrams wasn’t always working against pesticides, she has found her passion working to help protect people and the environment.

Photo: Zenger Farm in Portland, Oregon captures the essence of the small, urban farm, however this farm’s main goal is to give back.

Gareth Stacke finishes harvesting vegetables at Zenger Farm. Zenger Farm is a 16-acre urban farm located in southeast Portland, Oregon which provides organic food to a wide-range of clientele, including high-end restaurants and low-income communities.

Farmer Gareth Stacke tends to the chicken coops at Zenger Farm. The farm’s main focus is vegetable crops, but they also raise a small number of chickens on the farm and have their own egg cooperative program which provides fresh eggs to community members who help raise the flock.

Gareth Stacke uses a broadfork to aerate dense soil in a greenhouse. Zenger Farm maintains crops year-round and provides Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box subscriptions 22 weeks per year. CSA subscriptions provide local, organic produce for a monthly fee which can be bought with SNAP food stamps, and give subscribers the opportunity to connect with the farmers.

In order to ensure successful harvests during the winter months, Gareth Stacke prepares a greenhouse for planting by pouring soil along premeasured rows. Stacke first began farming in 2013 and has since worked for several Portland-based organic farms which help provide organic foods to a wide variety of communities in the Portland area.

Gareth Stacke helps direct his coworkers while preparing the greenhouse for winter. Along with growing and distributing organic produce, Zenger Farm is committed to youth education, hosting yearly summer camps and field trips for classes in the outer southeast neighborhoods of Portland.

Written:

As the rainy fog rolls into the hills in southeast Portland, Oregon, Gareth Stacke is outside braving the weather. All year round Stacke finds himself at Zenger Farm, a two-acre, small-scale organic farm located in Portland. “Like any good liberal arts student with a humanities degree I ended up in manual labor,” said Stacke, jokingly.

Stacke has been working at Zenger Farm for two years, but before working in the small-farm industry, he never imagined a career in farming. In 2008, Stacke moved to Portland to attend Lewis and Clark College, a small liberal-arts school. After graduating in 2012, Stacke was working in a pizza kitchen, unsure how he wanted to use his degree. With a degree in American history with a focus on civil rights and black power, Stacke knew he wanted to do something involving community activism, but didn’t know what.

Before considering a farming career, Stacke had already garnered farming experience. When Stacke was 19, he and a childhood friend took part in World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). WWOOF offers free room and board and meals in exchange for work. Through WWOOF, the pair worked on a half-acre farm in Argenta, British Columbia for one and a half months performing farm tasks for six hours a day.

When Stacke learned of Zenger Farm and its commitment to sustainable farming and social justice, he applied and was accepted into Zenger’s internship program. The 8-10 hour a day, four day a week internship provided Stacke with expertise in every aspect of farming.

After the internship, Stacke worked at Sauvie Island Organics and Our Table Coop, but has since found himself back at Zenger. During his second year of professional farming, Stacke realized how satisfied farming made him feel, and after working a computer-based job with the Portland Fruit Tree Project, it completely clicked that working on a farm was what he wanted to do.

Zenger Farm’s commitment to education and community connection made it the right fit for Stacke. Each year the farm hosts hundreds of field trips, and is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. CSA farms provide subscriptions which provide subscribers with weekly produce boxes and at Zenger can be paid for with EBT/SNAP, and can even be prescribed by doctors.

“His interests line up with the social justice aspect, and it just really makes sense,” said Stacke’s long-time friend Ginny O’Brien of his transition into farming at Zenger. Though it came unexpectedly, Stacke’s passion for farming is clear, and will continue to guide his plans for the future. “It was not what I ever saw myself doing,” said Stacke. “I dove head first into farming and I absolutely fell in love with it.”