How is the Local Small Agriculture scene? (Relocation Question) (Everett: broker, houses)

[curiouscat113]

My partner (career farmer) and I (trades worker) are considering WA as a potential relocation from VT (Burlington area) to buy a home/some land in order to pursue the dream of having a viable farm business. Nothing quick, we want to slowly build a farm. Veggies and eggs. A market/CSA farm.

Ideally, we would have some acreage (5-15) close to a nice smaller town, with a bigger city within 45-60 minute drive for market access.

Bellingham and Olympia strike us as places to be an hour away from - for "big city" customers/restaurants??

We have spent minimal time in WA, aside from a week visit to the peninsula last year. That area seemed to have interest around local agriculture. But it is hard to tell..

Climate also plays a factor, but our main consideration for this forum is to get perspective on food culture. In VT for instance, there is a lot of support and enthusiasm around small farmers and having a CSA. Farmers markets are very popular events in the summer.

Where in WA, might starting small farmers find a community of people to feed and be supported by.

Thanks for your time!

[Bamaman1]

I have a close friend that grew up on a relatively small 185 acre farm. They got rid of their dairy cows when the gov't bought'em out.

Now, the father has a hot house, and he puts out 5.5 acres of tomatoes earlier than other farmers. They're high tech tomatoes planted with a tobacco planter injected in black plastic sheeting and hit with fertilizer water all at the same time. The technology came from Clemson University. He puts out softball size eating tomatoes that go to Kroger. Then he has a second (late) season planting because the first crop went in so early.

He also puts 20 acres in Bermuda hay and the big city owners of high bred, fancy horses come out Saturdays--$7.00 per square bale. He has a supply of chicken manure that supercharges Bermuda.

He also has a large watermelon business that is planted on a "widow woman's land." You never want to grow melons on your land as it sucks the nutrients out of the soil.

And he raises cattle for other individuals and farmers on the remaining acres.

They have a big seasonal produce market in front of their house selling other local farmers' produce. And the wife sells ferns and other flower type items that come out of their greenhouse.

Being a small farmer is very hard work, and if you can just broker and sell other small farmers' goods, such hard work can be avoided.

[mayfair]

There a lots of small farms (dairy, beef, flowers, veggies, bees, CSAs etc.) in the area north of Everett- Arlington, Stanwood, Camano Island, Mt. Vernon, Sedro Wooley. The river valleys have great soil, but are in a flood plane. You could google local CSAs and farms around there and talk to the farmers to get an idea of the local market. There are tons of farmers markets in the area. Every small town seems to have one, and I know Bellingham has a huge one.

[Ruth4Truth]

People are buying small farms on the Olympic Peninsula, for organic farming, hobby farming, etc., some selling produce locally. The land is cheaper over there, it might be worth a look for you, OP. Between Sequim and Port Townsend, and a little to the south of Pt T, around Chimacum, AFAIK. There might be opportunities further south, as well.

[Dendrite]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

People are buying small farms on the Olympic Peninsula, for organic farming, hobby farming, etc., some selling produce locally. The land is cheaper over there, it might be worth a look for you, OP. Between Sequim and Port Townsend, and a little to the south of Pt T, around Chimacum, AFAIK. There might be opportunities further south, as well.

Hi Curiouscat:

My opinion on your question is that it might be tough, especially on the Olympic Peninsula (OP). As you noticed when you visited, the OP is a rural and remote location with a small population. Ruth (above) mentioned Sequim. I've attached an article published in our local paper a few months ago on the closing of the Nash Farm Store. Nash farms a lot of acres in this area and still had a tough go of it at their farm store.

More recently, COVID has hit western WA particularly hard and the farmers markets have all been closed for months. They're beginning to open up somewhat now with restrictions in place here on the OP. Hopefully they will be back to more normal operations soon.

I wouldn't consider your goal impossible but I think that you'd likely have to "keep your day job" for some time while developing a CSA/market farm on the OP.

https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/n...-in-dungeness/

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by curiouscat113

My partner (career farmer) and I (trades worker) are considering WA as a potential relocation from VT (Burlington area) to buy a home/some land in order to pursue the dream of having a viable farm business. Nothing quick, we want to slowly build a farm. Veggies and eggs. A market/CSA farm.

Ideally, we would have some acreage (5-15) close to a nice smaller town, with a bigger city within 45-60 minute drive for market access.

Bellingham and Olympia strike us as places to be an hour away from - for "big city" customers/restaurants??

We have spent minimal time in WA, ..

Climate also plays a factor, but our main consideration for this forum is to get perspective on food culture. In VT for instance, there is a lot of support and enthusiasm around small farmers and having a CSA. Farmers markets are very popular events in the summer.

Where in WA, might starting small farmers find a community of people to feed and be supported by.

Thanks for your time!

Do your homework (especially financial modeling)
- Biggest barrier to PNW plan is: land costs, Financial management (priorities of expansion and market); product choice; competition. (Realizing that Frazer Valley (next door to your chosen market of Bellingham) is a VERY big Canadian Bread Basket) + Whatcom county has a lot of primary AG (large and small producers) + a very good and informed customer market.

I have had a fruit and veggie farm business in SWWA and have worked in AG since birth, and currently teach AG finance to small producers. (I sold the farm due to very complicated County Planning / growth / taxes / inconsistent and difficult weather and customers (= LOTS of risk and labor shortage on perishable fruits (Berries)). I helped with formation of a very interesting Farm to Table Food Sustainability Network and mobile farmers market in Columbia River Gorge. https://gorgegrown.com/projects/

My family also currently works in CSA and local AG marketing farm>table, and WA / OR legislation to aid Farmer's Markets and home producers.

There is a lot of data / help.

For your chosen region: (NWWA)
https://www.bellinghamfarmers.org/wp...KXS7KsOO0MTYzo
https://eatlocalfirst.org/wp-content...SA-farmers.pdf
https://sustainableconnections.org/w...SA-farmers.pdf
https://www.whatcomtalk.com/2019/05/...d-agriculture/
https://communityfood.coop/the-revol...-be-delicious/

Biggest barrier in Western WA is suburban access to CHEAP food, and total cluelessness of anything outside of the 'suburban' fast paced consumerism. (WA is not VT, parts of OR is much closer to VT thought processes +/-). KNOW that it is a very huge temptation for your CSA people to run to Costco or a produce broker. Very fast, convenient, and cheap. Also in the very easy growing climate of PNW (westside) many people get as much FREE produce as they can eat from neighbors and friends. Few people know how to 'preserve' food anymore, and certainly are not going to take the trouble to do so. Wet Western WA means (as a farmer) you MUST get ALL your outdoor stuff done in VERY FEW nice summer days (~80). AND you enjoy working in the drizzle and mud. Pruning and winter plant and animal husbandry.

BTW, in PNW I can buy about anything from produce brokers (excess inventory of warehouses) for < $0.50 / lb. I cannot grow it for that price.

[Diana Holbrook]

There are a few good small farms in this area that do CSA and farm fresh eggs within a few miles of me. Helsing Junction Farm in South Thurston (https://www.helsingjunctionfarms.com/) is one successful example. Farm to table is a very popular notion out here, as is Homesteading and self sufficiency, so there are opportunities to buy/sell/trade/barter farm raised and homemade wares as well as find supportive network of other farms through very active facebook groups.

For affordable farm and ag property, I would look first in Lewis, Grays Harbor, and South Thurston counties. Lots of river front prime agricultural property there. Just watch flood plains - make sure there is some acreage above the flood plain so you build where it's high and dry even if some of the property floods in winter.

If winter flooding is not your thing, there is lots of great farm land in Lewis county near Napavine and Onalaska that is high plateau. I call it our "big sky" country and it's a neat area, and unusual, because large areas of open land not covered by tall trees, and not in flood prone river bottom, yet with nice fertile soil, is fairly rare.