Grants could preserve farmland
Published 10:21 pm Saturday, November 10, 2007
Snohomish County could receive about $1.1 million in state grants next year to preserve 341 acres of farmland in the Tualco Valley south of Monroe.
If the state Legislature approves the grants in early 2008, the county plans to match the money with federal grants to buy development rights of farmland from farmers in the 4,700-acre valley, said Ryan Hembree, the county’s agriculture coordinator.
The Purchase of Development Rights Program keeps farmland intact by barring development and nonagricultural activities.
“I fully support that. We’ve got to preserve farmland,” said County Councilman Dave Somers, whose district includes the valley.
The state grants would be used to preserve three farms in the valley: the 240-acre Peoples Ranch, the 59-acre Biderbost Farm and 42-acre Willie Greens Organic Farm.
In addition, the state plans to allocate about $3.6 million in grants to preserve farmlands in other counties in 2008, said Susan Zemek, spokeswoman for the state’s Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, which handles grant applications. Island County could get $1.25 million to preserve two pieces of farmland.
Snohomish County is one of the few counties with specific programs for farmland preservation, Zemek said.
“They are up and ready to go,” she said.
About 63,000 acres are designated as farmland in the county. Only about half of those acres, though, are being used for agricultural purposes, according to a study that the county released earlier this year.
Actual farming such as raising cattle and crops is taking place on 33,110 acres of that land. The rest is not being farmed for several reasons. Much of the farmland in floodplains is too wet to farm.
The county has lost acres of farmland to development over the last several years, Somers said. The county must act now to change the tide.
The county already paid Chester Hoberg, a farmer in the Tualco Valley, $542,000 for his right to build houses on 30 acres. His land is to remain farmland permanently.
The county began another program, called the Transfer of Development Rights Program, for the Stillaguamish Valley west of Arlington. The program is driven by housing development. The county asks developers to buy the right to develop farmland from farmers and transfer the right to build housing elsewhere.
The county wants to use the two programs to save more farmland, Somers said.
“We have to expand them. Otherwise, we will lose farmland,” he said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Farm grants
Snohomish and Island counties could receive state grants in 2008 to preserve farmland. Here is a list of farmlands that the counties plan to preserve with the grants:
Snohomish County
$750,000: Peoples Ranch
$280,710: Biderbost Farm
$78,210: Willie Greens Organic Farm
Island County
$750,000: Ebey’s Reserve Farmland
$500,000: Useless Bay East Farmland
Source: Washington state Recreation and Conservation Funding Board
