Small Farm Program

Small Farm News

The Work That Outlives Us: A Reflection on Farm Succession and Legacy in Skagit County

On a Wednesday in early December, about thirty Skagit County farmers gathered at Shawn O’Donnell’s Irish Pub. There was laughter, some weariness, and an unspoken gravity in the air. They […]

Farm Stress & Suicide Prevention Impact

Issue Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers experience disproportionately high levels of stress and suicide risk, driven by financial volatility, isolation, and market uncertainty, with limited access to culturally competent behavioral […]

Historical Flooding in Western Washington – December 2025

Historical Flooding in Western Washington – December 2025 This past week, you may have seen news coverage about the severe flooding that occurred in Western Washington. This historical event hit […]

Welcome to Skagit Small Farms Program 

• Washington State University Food Systems Program and Skagit County Extension provides research-based information and bilingual English/Spanish educational programs for farmers, consumers, decision-makers, and others involved in local food systems. We work closely with farmers and community members to build a profitable farming system, to promote land and water stewardship, and to ensure that members of our community have access to healthy food. 

• Meet your local Small Farms and Food Systems Team 
• Kate Smith 
• Eber Rivera 

What We Offer 

• We offer programs in agricultural sustainability and access to information resources.  

• Cultivating Success 
• Farm walks events and podcast episodes 
• Technical assistance 

Grower Resources 

• Soil health and fertility 
• Pest & disease management (IPM) 
• WSU Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic 
• WSU Hortsense Pest and Disease Management 
• Season extension  
• High Tunnel System Initiative | NRCS (usda.gov) 
• Cover Cropping 
• Cover cropping 
• Western Cover Crop Council Cover Crop Selector 
• Soil Health 
• WSU NWREC Mount Vernon Soil Health Lab 
• WSU Puyallup Soil Management  
• WSU Soil Sampling Resources
• Organic Certification 
• WSDA Organic Certification 
• Oregon Tilth Organic Certification 
• Transition to Organic Mentorship Program

Business & Marketing Support 

• Regional Small Farms Resources on Business of Farming 
• Business Planning 
• SARE Basics of Farm Business Planning
• Business Model Canvass guide for farms 
• SARE – Building a Sustainable Business (PDF)
• WSU Extension Business Structure for Small Farms: A quick guide(PDF) 
• WSU Enterprise Budgets
• Schedule F Tax Form for Profit and Loss Farming 
• Agricultural Finance, Tax and Asset Protection (AgFTAP)  
• Enterprise Budgets for Small Farms – Young Agrarians 
• Check out free on-demand classes from Business Impact Northwest 
• Direct marketing: 
•  WSDA Regional Market Program “Green Book”, The Direct Marketing Handbook LINK 
• Direct Marketing for Small Farms Webinar WSU Snohomish Link 
• Find a farmers’ market: Washington State Farmers Market Association 
• Branding, marketing and value added  
• Washington Farm and Food Finder: Eat Local First 
• National Farm Finder: USDA Local Food Directory 
• PennState Extension: Branding Your Farm Business Link to Website 
• Value added production: Commercial Kitchens in WA Link 

Food Safety & Regulations 

• WSU Food Safety Resources  
• Cottage food laws 
• Livestock processing & sales guidelines WA MeatUp 
• Risk Management and Food Safety Link 
• Food Safety Farm Sanitizing Resources 
• USDA Crop Insurance- Micro Farm Program 
• Crop Insurance Providers 

Farm to School & Institutional Markets 

• Selling to schools and public institutions 
• WSDA Farm to School Program
• Procurement guidelines, support programs, grant opportunities and success stories from local farms 
• Puget Sound Food Hub Cooperative 

Land Access & Infrastructure 

• Buy Protect Sell Guidebook – Jefferson Land Trust Link 
• Cooperative purchasing and financing guide Link 
• Farm to Farmer Link 
• Washington Farm Link 
• Pathways for the Next Generation Link 
• Access to Farmland Webinar WSU Snohomish Link 
• Viva Farms Incubator program 

Climate-Smart Farming & Sustainability 

• Washington Soil Health Initiative  
• Soil carbon sequestration WSU CSANR 
• OSU Dry farming  
• Agricultural climate resilience 
• On-farm renewable energy– OSU Agrivolatics 
• WA Climate Data – Office of Washington State Climatologist Link 

Workshops, Trainings & Events 

• Upcoming workshops calendar 

Funding & Grant Opportunities 

• WSDA Local Food Infrastructure Grant  
• Tilth Alliance WA State Organic and Sustainable Farming Fund  
• FSA Loan Programs Washington State 
• Northwest Farm Credit Services   
• WA State Housing Finance Commission Beginning Farmer Program
• BINW Pitch Competition  
• Craft3 Food and Beverage Processors Line of Credit  
• USDA Farm Service Agency  
• WA State Conservation Commission Conservation Programs  
• WA Revenue Based Financing Fund  
• Business Impact NW 
• Steward 
• Kiva 
• Funding Sources for Food-Related Businesses 
• Regional Food Business Center Applying for Federal Grants Course 
• USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service EQIP  

Beginning Farmer Support 

• Cultivating Success – Agricultural Entrepreneurship 
• Sustainable Ag Farmer Forum Tilth Alliance 
• Viva Farms  
• Enterprise for Equity: Agriculture-focused business readiness workshops for Veterans 
• Business Impact NW Root to Rise: Farm Business Accelerator 
• Northwest Agricultural Business Center – classes and workshops 
• NABC Resilerator Program 
• Organic Farm School– Whidbey Island 
• Free Business Advising from WSBDC Link 

Policy & Advocacy 

• Skagit County Food Policy Council 
• WA Food Policy Forum  

Local Food Connections 

• Eat Local First Food and Farm Finder is a statewide directory to find local food (farms, farmers markets, farm stands, CSAs)