Skagit County continues to be at the forefront of conserving agricultural land. This is due to the Skagit County Farmland Legacy Program which has a successful history in protecting both natural resources and agricultural lands. For good reason.
The Skagit Valley’s fertile soil has been rated in the top 2% of soils in the world, making the Skagit Valley one of the most important and productive agricultural regions in the world. Roughly 90,000 acres of agricultural land grow 90 different crops, generating nearly $315 million in revenue in 2020. More tulip and daffodil bulbs grow here than any other county in the United States. Skagit County supplies much of the world’s cabbage, table beet and spinach seed. It is one of the state’s top dairy regions. Skagit farmland has an importance far beyond the local level.
Now in its 26th year, Skagit County’s Farmland Legacy Program protects more than 14,000 acres of fertile Skagit County farmland from future development. This voluntary program enables farmland owners to sell unused residential development rights to the county, while landowners retain ownership of their land and continue to farm. The conservation easement runs with the land, no matter who owns it.
Last year we published a story about Joyce Johnson and her family’s generous gift of an additional 57 acres for this purpose. Everett Post Johnson Property Story
Thanks to an engaged community, a progressive government, and diligent foresight, Skagit County’s Farmland Legacy Program is one of the most active and successful farmland preservation programs in the state of Washington.
Skagit County Public Works has published its 2022 Farmland Legacy Annual Report, chronicling the County’s work protecting local farmland in the past year and over the past quarter century.
The eight-page report presents data in bite-sized articles and graphic formats that can help provide insight into the role of Skagit agriculture and the impacts of protected farmland in preserving agricultural viability.
Farmland under conservation easement protection in Skagit County now totals 14,325 acres.
The 2022 Report covers the following:
- Featured Properties: Meet the Farmers and Farmland Owners who Voluntarily Protected their Land in 2022
- Centerfold Map of Protected Properties in Western Skagit County
- Acres Protected & Farmland Data
- Funding Sources & Partnerships
- Skagit County Agriculture Current Statistics
- Understanding the Work Cycle of a Skagit County Farmer
Read all about it! Farmland Legacy 2022 Annual Report
