March 2025

Farmland Preservation in the News

• Historic Petersen Farm Becomes Part of GPC | Great Peninsula Conservancy - The Great Peninsula Conservancy is celebrating the protection of a property that will be permanently protected and managed to create land access opportunities for beginning farmers in Kitsap County.
  
  
• Survey: Solar on Agricultural Land in Washington | American Farmland Trust - Please distribute this survey through your farmer networks to help the voices of farmers and ranchers inform decisions regarding solar siting policy. 
  
  
• Investigating the Possibility of a Beginning-Farmer Loan Program or Tax Incentive in Connecticut | Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies - This is a product of the New England Land Access Policy Project, a collaboration from American Farmland Trust, Conservation Law Foundation, and Land for Good. 

Events

• April RCFB Meeting - RCO has been undertaking a review of the Farmland Preservation Program of WWRP. Many of the potential policy changes proposed for the program will be going to the Recreation & Conservation Funding Board for review in April and June – if you would like to make public comment, please subscribe for updates to those meetings and participate in the public comment opportunities. 
  
  
• Washington NRCS Urban & Small-Scale Agriculture Listening Session Survey Form - In addition to the survey in the link, there will be a listening session held on April 16. Email rebecca.anderson@usda.gov for an invite.

Agriculture in the news

• These are troubling times for WA farmers | The Seattle Times
  
  
• Washington House passes farm fuel bill, rejects Farm Bureau’s proposal | Capital Press
  
  
• Can Washington’s agriculture industry survive on H-2A workers? | Cascade PBS
  
  
• Trump’s funding freeze puts Skagit County farms on slippery slope | The Seattle Times
  
  
• Billions of dollars at stake for farmers hit by Trump funding freeze, pause on foreign aid | Washington State Standard
  
  
• Washington state veterinarian: Federal bird flu shift overdue, industry leading changes | Capital Press
  
  
• Climate Resilience Plan for Washington Agriculture | Washington State Department of Agriculture

NRCS Updates

• On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order that placed a freeze on spending authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This includes payments under NRCS conservation program contracts that are funded through the IRA and IIJA.
  
  
• USDA leaders have been directed to assess whether grants, loans, contracts, and other disbursements align with the new administration’s policies. Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, will have the opportunity to review the programs and work with the White House to make determinations as quickly as possible.
  
  
• In the meantime, USDA appreciates conservation partners and farmers’ patience and recognizes the vital role the agricultural community plays in strengthening and sustaining our nation. We understand that uncertainty can be challenging, especially for those already navigating the unpredictable forces of nature.

Job Announcements

• Washington Association of Land Trusts Job Board - Opportunities with land trusts from the Palouse to Vashon Island.
  
  
• State Conservation Commission Job Board - Opportunities with Asotin County, Pierce, and Whidbey Island Conservation Districts.  

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.