dispatches from the field
Climate-Smart Forage for Rural Resilience
Rusted Gate is actively testing Kernza, a resilient perennial grain, as an innovative hay alternative to help ranchers combat severe drought conditions. This climate-smart agricultural breakthrough offers a scalable, long-term solution for stabilizing forage security and advancing sustainable land management in vulnerable rural communities.
KDRV-TV, May 2026
Unlocking the Local Meat Economy
More than just a piece of equipment, Southern Oregon’s new mobile processing facility is an engine for regional resilience. It moves the needle for entire counties, allowing local farms to capture more value, stay on the land, and strengthen the local meat supply chain from the ground up.
KDRV-TV, January 2026
A Model for Data-Driven Resilience
Rusted Gate serves as a working model to show how agricultural innovation translates into practical, scalable ranching. The farm is a laboratory for rural survival, converting a hybrid of operational revenue and external investment into data that helps farms stay in business.
John Deere, The Furrow, January 2026
READ STORY
Balancing Production and Preservation
Rusted Gate is developing an innovative land-use model that combines active beef cattle production with vital wetland restoration to naturally filter phosphorus runoff before it enters Upper Klamath Lake. By utilizing cutting-edge tools like satellite-controlled virtual fencing for regenerative grazing, this demonstration project serves as a replicable blueprint for matching agricultural profitability with watershed recovery and endangered species protection.
Loree Johnson, Friends of Klamath Basin Birds, August 2025
READ STORY
The Profitability Blueprint: Redefining the Family Farm
Chris Martin sits down with John Souza at Rusted Gate Farm to discuss the farm’s mission of supporting small farms through education, innovation, and community outreach.
— MOPG Podcast, May 2025
00:00 Start of video
01:07 Introduction to RGF and John Souza
11:03 Food system resilience
14:07 Bringing people together
18:47 Beef products
20:31 Regenerative practices
26:05 Closing of price gap between grocery stores and small farms — Place-based education — Produce excellence28:36 Agricultural opportunities in the Rogue River Valley
36:40 First hybrid mobile USDA processing facility
43:46 Farm tour — Cattle and land management
46:55 Tour of USDA processing facility
52:55 High-intensity organic gardening practices — Place-based learning
57:52 Pastoral land — Goats — Mobile chicken coop — Place-based learning — Truffle orchard
A Hub for Impact
Senator Ron Wyden visited Rusted Gate Farm to lead a roundtable discussion focused on the challenges facing Oregon's agricultural sector and the rise of illegal hemp and marijuana operations. The session allowed farm leaders and law enforcement to collaborate on legislative solutions for the upcoming Farm Bill to better protect rural resources.
KDRV-TV, October 2023
Unique Dual Identity
Brenda Weaver is recognized as a 2023 Agriculture Power Broker for her successful efforts in securing insurance for Rusted Gate Farm after their coverage was canceled. Weaver is credited with helping carriers understand the farm’s unique dual identity as both a working commercial operation and a nonprofit research and education center.
Risk & Insurance, February 2023
Evaluating Performance
As part of a citizen science program to electrify the agricultural industry, Rusted Gate Farm is hosting and testing a 25-horsepower Solectrac electric tractor to evaluate its performance in real-world conditions. While the tractor excels in tight spaces like orchards, staff noted that its hydraulics and moisture resistance need further refinement.
Inside Climate News, July 2022
