Preserve farms to preserve our spirit

The Cedar Valley Grange celebrated its centennial last weekend, a milestone anniversary for any organization.

The word “grange” conjures up images of farms and farmers, of square dances and political gatherings, of rural communities coming together to protect their interests and have a good time.

Cedar Valley’s centennial is a chance for us to remember what this area used to be long before the encroachment of suburbia — open space and rural farmland located far from Seattle’s bustling streets.

And it’s a chance for us to look around and preserve what’s left of that farmland.

Since taking office in 2004, Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon has made it a priority to preserve the region’s remaining farms, including the Agriculture Sustainability Project to strengthen the county’s agriculture industry.

We applaud the efforts of Reardon and others to protect the region’s agricultural roots. This area would lose part of its spirit and charm if the farms were to vanish and the county became nothing more than housing development after housing development.