Walk through the rows at Wild Roots Farm in Troutdale, Oregon and you’ll find an abundance of color and life: tender greens, onions, carrots, turnips, tomatoes, peppers, radicchio and more. But behind the flourishing crops is a story of transition, resilience, and collaboration, led by farmer Mary Colombo, who has made the farm both a livelihood and a hub of community.

Rocks to Roots

Colombo’s path to farming wasn’t linear. Trained as a geologist, she spent years working at a geotechnical engineering firm before deciding to follow a deeper passion. “I’ve always felt a connection to the land,” she reflects, remembering growing up gardening and reading Michael Pollan. In 2009, she left her desk job behind to work on a small organic farm in California - a leap of faith that changed everything.

Building Wild Roots Farm

In 2015, Colombo entered the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District’s (EMSWCD) Headwaters Farm Business Incubator program, a training ground for beginning farmers. Over four years, she honed her skills in production, business and resource management. When she graduated in 2019, she moved to Wild Roots Farm’s current 9-acre site.

Staying true to the lessons she’d learned at Headwaters, Colombo chose not to farm in isolation. She subleased her land to four other farmers, turning the property into a collective of thriving small farm operations. By pooling resources such as equipment, infrastructure, labor, the group created resilience.
 

“It’s a really incredible community,” Colombo says. “I don’t think I would have ever shifted to that having not gone through a program that was very collective-minded.”

Conservation in Action

Partnerships have been key to Wild Roots’ growth. Colombo collaborated with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Oregon to strengthen the farm production. With funding through NRCS Oregon, she installed high tunnels to extend the growing season, especially important for crops like tomatoes and peppers, and built hedgerows that block destructive winds while supporting wildlife habitat.

This year, Colombo and another farmer on the property are installing a 600-foot pollinator strip designed with help from The Xerces Society to ensure native plants bloom throughout the year, feeding bees and butterflies that, in turn, support the crops.

Infrastructure support has been equally critical to her farm’s success. With EMSWCD’s help, Wild Roots received funding for a reliable farm road and upgraded irrigation infrastructure, which helped streamline operations and safeguard the farm’s productivity.

“Our farm literally could not be here without the road that our soil and water conservation district helped invest in,” she says.

Rooted in Community

Wild Roots Farm is more than a farm business — it’s a means of collaboration. Colombo stays connected to the Headwaters community and mentors beginning farmers, eager to share what she’s learned. She emphasizes both the challenges and the rewards of the work.

"I know how hard this job is and I know how hard it is to launch a new and beginning farm," she said. "It's very heavily romanticized, but really it's a lot of grit and blood, sweat and tears. I want to help support other young beginning farmers. I know how hard this is so I'm here to help. Let's all help each other because we're only stronger together."

She also encourages others to embrace resources like NRCS and EMSWCD. “I think there can be some hesitancy working with government agencies, which I get. But I’ve found working with both of these agencies so easy and wonderful. They aren’t trying to tell me how to farm or do my job. They just want to see my farm be more profitable and run better.”

Looking Forward

Today, Wild Roots Farm supplies fresh produce to 100 weekly CSA members, as well as restaurants and small grocers in Portland. But Colombo’s vision extends beyond food. Her focus is on resilience of the land, of pollinators, of fellow farmers and on building a farming community that thrives together.

As she puts it: “You do not sleep better than after a hard day’s work of farming.”

Reach out to your local NRCS and SWCD staff today to learn about what conservation assistance is available to help support you and your land.