Welcome to Skagit County
May 16, 2025 Skagit County Protects 460 Acres of Farmland from Development in 2024In 2024, Skagit County’s Farmland Legacy Program protected five farmland properties, permanently safeguarding another 460 acres of prime agricultural soil. Protected properties were in Burlington (80 acres), Conway (66 acres), Mount Vernon (8.5 acres), and Sedro-Woolley (267 acres, 38.5 acres). The protection of Skagit County’s USDA-designated prime farmland means these properties can no longer be developed into residential buildings, and will instead provide essential soil and land for farming for generations to come. Skagit County’s Farmland Legacy Program now protects more than 15,000 acres of prime farmland land of regional and global significance. An agricultural conservation easement ensures the highest quality farmland continues to be farmed while staying in private hands. The Farmland Legacy Program pays landowners for voluntary limiting development on their farmland. In total, landowners in 2024 received $985,000 for the permanent protection of prime Skagit County farmland. Protecting Land for Future Generations It is vital to protect Skagit County farmland at a fast pace. As part of its 2022-2032 Strategic Plan, the County set a goal to protect 400 acres a year in the coming 25 years. Keeping pace with this average means that by the year 2050, Skagit County will have protected 30% of its farmland. This amount of land is expected to be large enough to keep the County’s agriculture industry afloat. At this rate, it will take 55 years to protect 50% of Skagit farmland from development. Despite strong land-use regulations, Washington state continues to lose farmland to development. Washington lost roughly 3,717 farms between 2017 and 2022 — about 14 farms per week, at nearly twice the rate of the previous decade, according to the Washington Policy Center. More than 50% of the nearly 100,000 acres lost between 2001 and 2016 was considered the state’s best quality farmland, according to the American Farmland Trust. About the Skagit County Farmland Legacy Program The Farmland Legacy Program is a County-funded initiative that compensates landowners for placing a perpetual conservation easement on their land. Landowners retain ownership of their land and continue their farming operations as usual. Landowners can still sell their land, but it cannot be developed. The conservation easement stays with the land, no matter who owns it. To read more about Skagit County Farmland Legacy Program’s work in 2024, you can access the newly released annual report online. The 2024 report covers the following:
To learn more about Skagit County’s Farmland Legacy Program, visit skagitcounty.net/farmland or call (360) 416-1417. |
