Electric Tractor Demonstration with Black Food Sovereignty Coalition

Apr 13

Sustainable Northwest and our Electric Farms (E-FARMS) partners – WyEast RC&D, Forth Mobility, and Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) – hosted an electric tractor demonstration day with The Black Food Sovereignty Coalition (BFSC). The event took place at Howell Territorial Farm on Sauvie Island, one of BFSC’s two community farms, with roughly 30 people attending.

The E-Farms program strives to introduce electric farming equipment to rural and agricultural communities across Oregon that are interested in learning and testing equipment. The program gives people the opportunity to test electric farming equipment, including electric tractors and electric pick-up trucks, on their own farm or other operation without taking on financial risk. Preliminary results from the program demonstrate that converting to electric farming equipment saves up to 90% on fuel costs, reduces tractor emissions by 90%, and improves air quality and working conditions on the farm.

We were delighted for the opportunity to work with the Black Food Sovereignty Coalition, an organization whose mission aligns with our goal to support and elevate historically disadvantaged and underserved communities. BFSC serves as a collaboration hub for Black and Brown communities to confront the systemic barriers that make food, place, and economic opportunities inaccessible to them. BFSC is focused on meeting these barriers with creative, innovative, and sustainable solutions.

BFSC explained that their “farmers were thrilled to be among the first in the state of Oregon to have received an electric tractor.” BFSC believes that giving their farmers the opportunity to harness the power of electric farming equipment helps ensure that the Black and Brown communities they serve are on the cutting edge of sustainable technology.