Skagit Ag Summit gathers experts and farmers

Just as regular as the harvest, the time has arrived for the annual Skagit Ag Summit. It will convene Friday, Feb. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Washington State University’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center.

The meeting is an excellent place to learn more about the agricultural community in Skagit County and the issues affecting it, said Don McMoran, director of WSU Skagit County Extension. It also is a place to meet professionals from the field.

Scheduled speakers include government employees and officials, academic and scientific experts and large and small local farmers.

The summit focuses on four big themes: leadership, economic viability, innovation and water. “They are all tied together,” said McMoran. “You need all four components to be successful.” Panels centered on each topic will occur with several leaders and experts on each.

In the past, labor has been included as one of the main themes. The rise in mechanization, as well as the recent increases in the minimum wage and ending the overtime exemption for agriculture, has made labor less a priority to the summit’s organizers. This year, labor will be folded into other discussions.

The organizing committee intends there to be more discussion this year. This way the agriculture community can respond and share what is happening on the ground, said McMoran.

McMoran hopes attendees will think in big picture terms: “What will we need to continue farming in Skagit County for the next 150 years?” Uncertain climate and water forecasts and challenging economic circumstances make the question a pressing one that demands creative leadership.

This is the eighth annual summit hosted by WSU Extension. Years ago, former Skagit County commissioner Ken Dahlstedt suggested that the agricultural community would benefit from having a place to come together to discuss the issues affecting agriculture. In its first year, the summit was a two-day event focused on gathering together regulators and those working on the ground. That was the only two-day summit. It was too difficult to get enough regulators and policymakers from Olympia to Skagit County in February when the legislature is in session.

The summit is free and open to the public.