Skagit County farmers are looking for ways to navigate complicated water issues, overcome variable weather and ensure the continued survival of Skagit agriculture in an increasingly complex environment.
These were among the issues touched on by more than a dozen panelists during the 2024 Skagit Ag Summit at the Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center Auditorium on Friday, Feb. 10.
What had started out as an attempt to mobilize farmers around political issues has morphed over the years into a countywide educational event, explained Don McMoran, the director of Washington State University Skagit County Extension.
Based on research and surveys from the inaugural summit eight years ago, McMoran and his team learned that water, economic viability and labor are the primary challenges faced by local farmers.
“So we tend to focus on those but then we also try to mix it up a little bit and delve into other issues as well,” McMoran said.
The crowd of about 70 people was a mix of commercial and organic farmers, government agency representatives and general community members.
“I’m so fortunate that in the scheduled Ag Summit this year, we’ve got really great people on the government side to work with,” McMoran said. “Being able to establish those relationships, build trust – it definitely goes a long way.”
Among those agency representatives was Kellie Gillingham from the Washington State Department of Ecology. Gillingham is one of a handful of “water masters” in the state charged with untangling some of the most complicated water rights issues in Washington.
Born and raised in Washington with family heritage that goes back to homesteading in the region, Gillingham encouraged the audience to check their water rights, do their due diligence and review the land use history for plots – as it all can help farmers stay on the right side of the law.
Every year, McMoran plans on it being the last one for the summit.
“But then, as we get closer to fall, there’s more issues that come about that I know we need to educate our community on,” he said.
Isaac Stone Simonelli is CDN’s enterprise/investigations reporter; reach him at isaacsimonelli@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 127.
