Water, agritourism, solar farms, growth probed at annual Ag summit

Skagit County Commissioner Ron Wesen got the first word and Congressman Rick Larsen the last at the 6th annual Ag Summit hosted by Washington State University Skagit County Extension Feb. 11.

The hybrid event, with lunch for those attending in-person, offered updates on everything from the county-sponsored farmland legacy and voluntary stewardship programs to new state rules for agricultural overtime pay.

Water was a key topic.

Skagit River water use is regulated by the Department of Ecology’s instream flow rule, protecting aquatic species and natural processes. When there is an instream flow shortfall – about 60% of the time in August, September and October – irrigation district pumps are shut down.

Discussing the recently released Skagit basin supply and demand analysis study, WSU soil scientist Dr. Gabe LaHue called the variability of Skagit River flow from year to year “a major take home.” Also, while the number of allocated senior water rights is higher than demand in the overall basin, in the ag lands of the lower Skagit river and delta, water rights and demand are about the same.

Drought transfers from the Skagit Public Utility District can help when flows are too low, said PUD General Manager George Sidhu. During declared droughts in 2015, 2018 and 2021, the PUD temporarily transferred the unused portion of its water rights to irrigation districts. It may develop seasonal water transfers for non-emergency situations.

Saving water makes a difference. At last year’s Ag Summit, David Wallace of the Wallace potato family introduced a phone app that shuts down a pump remotely when a mobile sprinkler breaks down or gets stuck. This year he reported that by using 122 of the devices from his startup, CODA Farm Technologies, local farmers saved 35 million gallons of water and improved crop yields by averting unintended flooding. Not having to drive out to broken hose reels to shut them down also kept 50 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

Nearly 14,000 acres of Skagit farmland have been preserved through the farmland legacy program, which pays farmers for unused development rights. Skagit County is one of the top two counties for acres of farmland protected said Sarah Stoner, agricultural lands coordinator for Skagit County Public Works, and will soon be number one.

However, in a state that has lost 100,000 acres of farmland in the last two decades, new threats are always cropping up. Solar farms are the latest.

Some Skagit farmers have gotten letters from companies interested in leasing land for solar panels, said Addie Candab of the American Farmland Trust.

About 90 percent of new solar panels are expected to be installed in rural areas as the economy shifts to renewable energy. Farmers elsewhere are experimenting with interplanting crops and panels and installing panels on irrigation canals and holding ponds to reduce evaporation and keep water cool. Still, said Candab, “we could lose more ag land to this than development because ag is cheap and an easy place to put solar.”

Regarding agritourism on land that is zoned Agricultural Natural Resources (Ag-NRL), the county is considering three options, said Peter Gill of Skagit County Planning and Development Services: take no action and leave current Ag-NRL zoning in place; tweak current allowances to be clearer and focus on activities that relate to existing farm activities; rezone.

Jake Buganski, head of the new Skagit Tourism Bureau, will “manage” Skagit County as a destination target to promote sustainable tourism and “avoid over-tourism, a real problem in Europe,” he said. “And if you don’t want people coming around your farm, we’ll help with that, too.”

The innovation session looked at how drones could be used for aerial monitoring for disease and pests, targeted sprays, broadcast seeding, or mapping and surveying fields. Lav Khot of WSU’s AG Weather Net explained how the system collects weather data to help growers. Six stations collect weather data in Skagit County.

Interest in sequestering carbon on agricultural lands is growing, said Georgine Yorgey of WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, as government recognizes the importance of soil health and private sector companies commit to becoming climate neutral. “Measuring soil carbon levels can get really expensive really fast, the carbon market can be a long-term commitment and prices for sequestration are not high yet,” she said.

Wesen’s first word? “Get involved in advisory committees like the agricultural leaders breakfast held the first Friday of the month at the Farmhouse Inn.”

And Larsen’s last? “Thank you for being an important part of the state economy. The face of farming in Skagit is varied, diverse, big and small. If that land is growing something, then we’re in, we’re for it.”