Support the farm

There are many ways you can support the Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District’s demonstration farm.

Volunteer

Your time and caring are of great value! We will have opportunities for volunteers to help us accomplish some tasks.  Let us know if you might be interested in helping with repairing fences, painting, mowing, and similar jobs.

Share your special talent

You may have a special talent or skill that would help improve the farm. Are you a soil scientist? A nut tree or apple tree specialist? Do you enjoy woodworking? Are you an educator? Want to help identify bird species on the farm? Are you an electrician or a plumber? There are many things we could do if we had the time and expertise. Contact us if you think your special talent would add to the farm.

Donate money or materials

Your contributions of money or materials are likely to be tax deductible. Please consult your tax advisor for details, and refer them to Publication 526. Our 1974 formation documents are available.

• Oregon Revised Statute 568.550(1)(e) authorizes us to accept gifts: “…To obtain options upon and to acquire by purchase, exchange, lease, gift, grant, bequest or devise any property, real or personal or rights or interests therein…”
• The Internal Revenue Service says our kind of organization is a qualified organization: “The United States or any state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. possession (including Puerto Rico), a political subdivision of a state or U.S. possession, or an Indian tribal government or any of its subdivisions that perform substantial government functions. (Your contribution to this type of organization is deductible only if it is to be used solely for public purposes.)”

Materials we need

Here’s the list of items we need. Please contact us if you wish to donate any of these items!

Fences

• Woven wire fencing
• Round treated wood posts
• Some replacement gates
• Galvanized chain for securing gates
• Gloves (it’s a farm, we always need gloves!)

Fields

• Tractor, minimum 40 hp
• Draw bar and pin to fit Massey Ferguson 1529 tractor hitch
• Disc mower for haying
• Tedder/hay rake
• Baler (we like small bales)
• Small hay elevator
• Utility cart that can be pulled by our small tractor (“Big Red”)
• Flatbed trailer for equipment and moving hay
• PTO rototiller for tractor

Farmhouse

• Old fashioned country curtains
• Refrigerator
• Freezer, upright or chest (used to freeze the ice packs that keep our water quality samples cool)
• Washer and dryer (used to wash trace amounts of pesticides from the clothing worn by our invasive weed program folks!)
• Microwave oven
• Baskets for harvests from garden
• Pots and pans (cooking/warming food for meetings)
• Tableware
• Cooking utensils
• Dining table chairs
• Living room chairs
• A few end tables for the living room
• A few table lamps
• Firewood for wood stove

Garage (also contains staff work space)

• Desks, tables
• Chairs
• Lamps
• Tool rack or plastic 55-gallon drum to stand tools in
• Storage racks for miscellaneous supplies/items

Garden and lawn areas

• Rototiller
• Wheelbarrow or garden cart
• Riding lawnmower
• Heirloom seeds (we hope to plant a pioneer-era perennial garden and vegetable garden)
• Standard hoe
• Round-point shovel
• Flat shovel
• Compost bin
• Garden hoses (it’s a farm, we always need hoses!)
• Soaker hoses for more efficient water use
• Seed for fall cover crop to protect/improve soil (buckwheat, annual rye, oats, barley, field peas)

Hedges and hedgerows

• Native shrubs (to establish pollinator habitat)

Irrigation system

• Medium-sized doghouse to cover pump and motor

Shrub and tree management

• Chainsaw
• Hand saws (pruning, cutting fence boards)

Big shop (the large metal building in the SW corner of the property)

• Fluorescent light fixtures to hang from rafters

Old barn and the many livestock areas

• Buckets (it’s a farm, we always need buckets!)
• Muck boots for staff working at the farm

Services we need

Here’s the list of services we need. Please contact us if you wish to donate any of these services!

General

• Sign making

Fence repair

• Fences tightened
• Some line posts replaced
• Some corner posts replaced and corners rebuilt
• Painting of the driveway fence

Home repair

• Deck repair (replace rotting boards, relevel deck, build access ramp)
• Railing repair on porch (rotting posts and balusters)
• Locksmith services
• Exterminator services
• Tree service to remove dying trees
• Replace skylight
• Evaluate floor in bathroom
• Replace water heater