June 2024

Agriculture in the news

• A Deep Dive into the House Farm Bill - American Farmland Trust 
  
  
• USDA Partners with Washington to Award Over $7.3 Million to Strengthen Food Supply Chain Infrastructure - USDA
  
  
• The world found the Owyhees; now advocates say area needs protecting - The Seattle Times
  
  
• Is the Farm Stop Revolution Upon Us? - Modern Farmer
  
  
• More young people are getting into farming and agriculture - NPR
  
  
• Water allotment drops to 47% in the Yakima Basin - Yakima Herald

Events

• The Farms Forever Dinner, a fundraiser to support farmland preservation efforts of the Community Farmland Trust, will be on August 17 at Little Creek Casino Resort.
  
  
• Northwest Land Camp will be taking place July 10-12 in Tacoma with field trips on July 9. Registration will close on June 20.

Trainings

• Join American Farmland Trust and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for a workshop exploring the appraisal process utilized in the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program-Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE).  NRCS National Appraiser Mark Sonderby and NRCS National ACEP-ALE Program Manager Matt Oliver will lead the workshop, covering topics of interest to entities applying to the program.
   
  • Topics will include: 
    - ACEP-ALE Program Agreement Terms
    - Selecting an appraiser 
    - Before you submit to NRCS:  Suggested entity checklist
    - NRCS appraisal technical reviews: Reviewer perspectives
    - Fatal appraisal flaws  
    
    
  • Meeting Registration

Job Announcements

• Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland Executive Director 
• SCC Job Board
• Office of Farmland Preservation Coordinator
• Conservation Easement Program Liaison

Subscribe to the Farmland Preservation Monthly Newsletter, brought to you by the Office of Farmland Preservation. 

The Washington State Conservation Commission administers the Office of Farmland Preservation to address the rapid loss of working farm and forest lands in our state. Learn more: www.scc.wa.gov/ofp.