A neighborhood farm branches out

47th Avenue Farm
Zenger Farm CSA

I first read about Southeast Portland's 47th Avenue Farm in an article by Todd Schwartz in the February 2005 issue of Reed Magazine. The farm, owned by Laura Masterson, began on a double lot in the Woodstock neighborhood of Southeast Portland in 1994. Laura Masterson now farms at Zenger Farm, an agricultural park that is part of the Johnson Creek Basin and Watershed. The farm and its watershed are owned and managed by the City of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services. Masterson farms at Zenger Farm in exchange for property maintenance and educational outreach for the city. In addition, Masterson farms at Luscher Farm, in the neighboring city of Lake Oswego. This fulfills Lake Oswego's goal of combining “a park with working CSA farmland” (Schwartz). Masterson employs a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model at all three farm sites. In the CSA farm model, shareholders pay at the start of a season and receive a portion of the harvest on a weekly basis. The shareholders' subscriptions pay for the farmer's labor and farm equipment. I visited the original 47th Avenue Farm and the Zenger Farm CSA. I did not meet with the farmer or any shareholders. For more information: 47th Avenue Farm Zenger Farm Programs Luscher Farm CSA