Michelle Palacios Oral History Interview

Michelle Palacios is the administrator for the Oregon Hop Commission. In her interview, she talks about growing up in Canby, her family, leadership activities related to livestock judging and the Future Farmers of America, and her early interest in Agricultural Education. Palacios attended Linn Benton Community College, did coursework at Oregon State University in Agricultural Education, and transferred to Portland State University to major in Speech Communication. She talks about how she was hired to work at the Hop Commission, her process for getting acquainted with farmers and the crop, and what prompted her decision to leave the Hop Commission and then Hop Research Council in 2008/2010.

After being away from the industry for two years, she returned to work at the Crosby hop Farm as a marketing manager; in her interview, Palacios talks about that experience, changes she observed in the industry, and what led her back to the Hop Commission in 2016. The interview concludes with Palacios sharing the tops issues of concern to the growers in the state and how she spaces for growth and change for the next generation; specifically, she sees promise in the collaborative relationship that is growing in between brewers and growers.