Green Gate Farm with Mary Eichler Artwork

For the Love of Farming

This series is all about connecting listeners to small scale farmers and ranchers. We come together to talk about their why, how they came to be where they are, challenges, joys, and how they keep going. We are grateful to the individuals who were generous with their time, willing to get a little personal, share their wisdom and lessons learned, and yes - their love of farming with us all. This is a project of Oregon State University Extension, Small Farms Program.

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For the Love of Farming

Green Gate Farm with Mary Eichler

May 20, 2026 • Teagan Moran, OSU Extension Small Farms Program • Season 3 • Episode 3

0:00 | 1:26:24

Some lives reveal how extraordinary they are, the moment you start listening. Mary Eichler of Green Gate Farm in Corvallis has lived one of those lives. Her story sounds like a legend or a movie script, not because it’s embellished, but because it is rooted in courage and a rare clarity of purpose.

Mary turned eighty years old the day we recorded this. Mary’s life shows how much one person can change the world around them, and far beyond. As she says, “there’s always a better way… you just have to be willing.” Like the time she and her husband, simply helping a neighbor and trusting what they saw, unwittingly set in motion an international agricultural trade and industry - turning a waste product into a global export, improving environmental outcomes, and helping change Oregon law (more than once). Her story preserves a piece of Oregon history that isn’t captured elsewhere.

This episode honors a woman who has spent her life solving problems others accepted as inevitable, caring for animals others passed by, and spreading seeds of impact everywhere she stepped. I am grateful for everything about Mary.

This episode was recorded in March of 2026

People on this episode

Teagan Moran

Host