MONROE — About 200 people gathered on Thursday to learn about the latest trends and tools in agriculture at Snohomish County’s annual Focus on Farming conference.
Agriculture is the top industry by dollar volume in Snohomish County, second only to aerospace. The county’s farmers generate about $157 million a year in annual sales.
This year’s event featured more than 25 workshops about agritourism, new and beginning farmers, forestry, livestock and technology, plus a trade show, at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. It’s the first time the conference has been held since 2019.
Here are four takeaways:
1. Agriculture in Snohomish County is different
“We are not Iowa. We are not Nebraska. We are Western Washington,” county agriculture coordinator Linda Neunzig, who organized the conference, said in opening remarks.
Snohomish County farming is based around specialty crops (fruits, vegetables, herbs, Christmas trees, flowers, etc.) rather than commodities like corn and soybeans.
A big package of federal legislation called the Farm Bill shapes agricultural policy around conservation, trade, nutrition and more. The current bill expires in 2023 and is being renewed.
U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene and Rep. Kim Schrier, who spoke in-person and by video at the event, respectively, met with Snohomish County farmers this spring to talk about what matters to them in the next Farm Bill.
2. Farmers: Share your story on social media
Tell your own story, so others don’t do it for you, Michelle Miller, aka the “Farm Babe,” said in a keynote speech.
Miller grew up in Wisconsin and moved to a big city for a career in fashion. She fell in love with an Iowa farmer and moved to his farm, which challenged her views on everything from veganism to GMOs. In 2014, she launched her blog the “Farm Babe” to bust myths about agriculture and now has more than 100,000 Facebook followers.
In her talk, she played a video of a Burger King ad that touted feeding lemongrass to cattle to reduce methane in cow farts. The science behind the claims was shaky.
Miller tweeted at Burger King to start a conversation about the misleading commercial.
“They got so much wrong,” she said. The fast-food chain then visited Miller’s farm to film a new ad on sustainability in agriculture.
The “Farm Babe” said social media is more than just a way to share farmers’ stories, adding they can build a side hustle by monetizing their work on platforms like YouTube.
3. High-tech fixes are in farmers’ reach
Self-driving tractors, robotic harvesters and laser-equipped weed zappers are the future for agriculture. But what can farmers do right now to adopt technology?
You need not wait 10 more years or pay a fortune, Dan Maycock, Steve Mantle and Scott Waller told a group in a workshop session. The three work at the intersection of farming, data and technology.
Farmers can use practical tools. For $100, there’s a device that sends a wireless signal every hour on water flow. Another device measures soil moisture, telling you precisely when it’s time to start irrigating. Ultimately, better data gives farmers more control, helping reduce labor and input costs, the speakers said.
Maycock, with Loftus Labs, called it technology for “farming in the near future.”
He noted a new program at Central Washington University focused on tech in ag. The idea is to train college students to work as tech experts on farms.
4. The food was really good
Never expect run-of-the-mill conference food at Focus on Farming, Neunzig said.
This year’s menu featured creamy squash soup, rigatoni bolognese, meatballs, veggie slaw, and moist pumpkin hazelnut cake. All ingredients were sourced from Western Washington farms.
Jacqueline Allison: 425-339-3434; jacqueline.allison@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jacq_allison.
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