Marcella Henkels has been a resident of Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District 2 since 1988. She enjoys living on acreage of mixed pasture and oak savannah north of Corvallis. After moving to the property, her family bought the resident cows and had a small cow-calf operation which lasted 20 years. More recently, the farm animals are smaller and more diverse, with a variety of market lambs, meat and egg-laying chickens, turkeys, and goats. She also grows a large vegetable garden. Her family was involved with Benton County 4-H for 10 years, where her son raised market lambs and dairy goats.

Marcella is a retired plant pathologist with a 30 year research career (23 years at the Corvallis USDA Horticultural Crops Research Unit) working mostly on the mechanisms of biological-control of soil-borne pathogens. She has a BS in Botany from Utah State University and an MS degree in Plant Pathology from Colorado State University. She currently creates ceramic art which often reflects themes of agriculture and nature. She enjoys canoeing, birding, exploring the local surrounds, and wild mushroom foraging.