Will Whidbey Island’s family farmers work with county government?

Farmers will tackle that question when they gather at Au Sable Institute, Monday, June 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. for a Family Farms Forum II presentation, “Partners for economic success -— farmers and local government.”

“For the first time in decades, people are returning to farming in large numbers,” said small-farm operator Maryon Attwood of Coupeville in a news release from WSU Extension. “This is absolutely the best time to look seriously at how to rebuild our broken infrastructure.” Crops and livestock across the island are growing and so are the ideas on how to promote them.

At the same time, many local farmers are feeling pinched by county policies that no longer accommodate adequately for farm-based business development.

“The future of agriculture on Whidbey will be shaped by collaboration between farmers, consumers and our political leaders,” said Karen Bishop, farmer and director of the Whidbey Island Conservation District. “We feel this must be a coordinated effort and we want to explore with the community how to work towards this.” 

Olivia Forté-Gardner, agricultural educator at Washington State University Extension, agrees and says now is the time to do it.

“Farmers here are thinking creatively and are already taking action to turn our local agricultural economy around. This is the right time to talk about beneficial partnerships. Having a voice for sustainable farming in local policy is really important.”

Local farmers and ag supporters will get some insights on partnering with government from past and present members of the Snohomish County Ag Advisory Council. Farmers and experienced council members Linda Nuenzig and Mark Craven will share their experiences on the value their advisory body brought to the farming business. “Our county’s partnership has been successful because we hit the ground running,” Nuenzig said. She hopes Island County can do the same.

Since last year’s successful forum, three strong efforts in economic development have gotten under way around processing, branding, and community networking. Now several farmers, WSU Extension, Whidbey Island Conservation District, Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, Northwest Agriculture Business Center and Skagit Farmers Supply join together again as the Whidbey Sustainable Agriculture Committee to host a second forum.

In addition to this discussion, representatives from committee-initiated community research groups for processing, branding, and agri-tourism will highlight their progress. Maryon Attwood and Joe Hillers of the Whidbey Island Meat Processing Steering Committee note how much the volunteer group has accomplished in eight months.

“We’ve researched five options to bring processing back locally and increase the amount of USDA-inspected meat products available for local consumption,” Attwood said. USDA inspections allow farmers to sell product by the cut to grocery stores, restaurants and farmers markets, increasing current market access on both sides.

“If we can get this going, farmers will be far better equipped to keep up with demand. It’s a win-win, plain and simple,” Hillers said.

Attwood, Hillers, Forté-Gardner and Bishop are all part of the Whidbey Sustainable Agriculture Committee. Since its start, the ad-hoc committee continues to evolve and promote connectivity of agricultural producers and supporters. The committee hopes to serve as the backbone for future forums and community-driven research to generate solutions to infrastructure gaps.

“The WSAC is attempting to facilitate this process,” said Attwood, who serves on the committee on behalf of the Northwest Agriculture Business Center.

Last year’s forum engaged nearly 90 people and this year’s forum is expected to have the same appeal.