Agriculture in Portland & West Burbs (Salem, Beaverton: co-op, house, school)

[christiner81]

So my hubs has been interviewing with Nike and we may be relocating to west portland/beaverton. I've been looking at jobs for myself, not too much to pick from, which i expected - and that mirrors where we are currently.

I work in science/agriculture education with an emphasis on Hispanic populations. I've checked out all the obvious scientific employers in the area, but was wondering if anyone had suggestions about the Ag side of things. I've checked with county extension and OSU, nothing there. A few jobs with USDA/Forest Service. Is there anywhere else I should check out?

[Nell Plotts]

Nothing comes to my pea sized brain at the moment. The food processors that were in Portland metro have consolidated and are in the mid Willamette Valley. As you doubtless know our ag school is Oregon State. Once you are here I would visit with a couple of their professors to get a picture of north Wmt. Valley agriculture. I haven't chased coyotes for a while so don't know as much about the industry as I once did. Strawberries here, for example, are either grown for flavor (think Smuckers) or for local consumption. Hand harvest labor for a short and hard to predict season is a challenge for farmers.

I suggest you think more broadly and look at fresh fruit & vegetable distribution centers, see if any of them do any quality & safety surveys of their suppliers. The food safety issues that have surfaced seem to come from field sanitation. Maybe you could sell an observation (avoid the term inspection because of liability issues) and farm worker training program.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Nell's right, you need to look farther south in the Willamette Valley than Portland.

[hamellr]

Agriculture in the Portland area, especially near Beaverton mostly consists of housing tracks. IE, many of the large farms have been paved and built over, so there is little need for processors, and even less need for education.

So Nell's observations that most of that has moved to mid-Willamette is on. There may be some need in Tillamook area due to the larger number of Cattle Farms, but Highway 6 isn't going to be a fun commute.

The only other suggestion I can think of is seeing if PCC has some teaching positions open.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

How about something in the viticulture arena? Seems like that arena involves ag and Hispanic populations.

[christiner81]

good to know, sounds kinda like what happened here. concrete gradually replacing farms.

[davemess10]

You might want to look to some of the smaller, co-op style farms (places like Zenger, or some of the farms out on Sauvie Island). There is actually a pretty big interest in urban gardening/farming here. So you may find a niche somewhere (like a green house or a city-sponsored program).

Some of the smaller farms do a lot of volunteer-type stuff, which may get your foot in the door.

[Nell Plotts]

I think the OP has a degree in ag science, speaks farm worker Spanish and may be looking for a position that actually pays a living wage. That is why I suggested she look at distribution centers, maybe find a field rep position. Those in the field know what I am talking about.

[Larry Caldwell]

Monrovia has a really big nursery operation north of Salem on the west side of the Willamette, but the commute from Portland would be a killer, because of the Dundee bottleneck. Filberts (hazel nuts) are big in the Dundee area. There is also some pretty big tulip bulb growing near Mt. Angel, some turf operations near Wilsonville, and vinyards everywhere. Agriculture is Oregon's biggest industry and, thanks to land use laws, is still thriving in the Willamette Valley, which is one of the great garden spots of the world.

Did you know the PNW has a weekly Ag newspaper, headquartered in Salem?

Capital Press agriculture news | capitalpress.com

Bilingual with a degree in Ag, your job prospects look pretty bright, even in this economy.

[davemess10]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

I think the OP has a degree in ag science, speaks farm worker Spanish and may be looking for a position that actually pays a living wage. That is why I suggested she look at distribution centers, maybe find a field rep position. Those in the field know what I am talking about.

I get that, you know what you're talking about. And I'm just saying that Portland is a land of weird opportunity, and it doesn't hurt to look for "outside the box" ventures here.

There really is no need to reiterate that you're knowledgeable about the subject.