[1] In 1978, Martha and Kurt Schrader moved to Oregon, where they owned and operated Three Rivers Farm in Canby, growing and selling local organic produce from 1982 until 2012.
[2] From 1986 to 1994, Martha worked as a teacher and library media specialist in the Oregon City School District.
[1] That same year, Martha won the Democratic nomination to succeed her husband for his seat in the House, but she lost in the general election to Republican Alan Olsen.
[1] In 2008, Kurt was elected to the United States House of Representatives, and the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners, on which Martha served, selected her to fill Kurt's vacated state Senate seat (though she recused herself from voting).
While at Cornell, Martha met Kurt Schrader, then an undergraduate government major.