Skagit County Agriculture Statistics 2025

Washington State University Skagit County Extension

Washington State University Extension engages people, organizations and communities to advance economic well-being and quality of life by connecting them to the knowledge base of the university and by fostering inquiry, learning, and the application of research.

Greetings!

Washington State University Skagit County Extension has been keeping crop records since 1922. Information is compiled from processing companies, farm organizations, growers, field representatives, media sources, and University sources.

Agricultural statistics with related written details are important for several reasons:

• Figures show the past production history of farming in a community.
• Statistics show the ups and downs of agriculture in relationship to weather, economics, urban encroachment, disasters, or a shift in production to other areas.
• This information provides a basis on which to make important decisions for land-use planning, zoning, and economic development planning related to agriculture.

Your comments and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged. Feel free to give us a call and we can discuss the enclosed information. You can download a print copy pdf.

WSU Skagit County Extension Staff

About Skagit County

Geography

Skagit County is 60 miles north of Seattle. It is 24 miles wide (north and south) and 95 miles long (east and west). Several islands in the Puget Sound area are included in the county. Snowcapped Mount Baker (in Whatcom County), elevation 10,000 feet, dominates the northeastern edge of the county and is the start of the North Cascades wilderness area and National Park. The Skagit River, which is famous for steelhead and salmon fishing and serves as important bald eagle feeding grounds, begins in the North Cascade mountain area. The upper Skagit has three hydro-electric dams which provide power for the northwest. Below the dams, the Skagit is fed by the Sauk, Cascade, Suiattle and Baker rivers. The Skagit River flows through the “upper valley” and continues through thousands of acres of fertile farmland before emptying into Puget Sound.

Climate

Cool, marine temperatures and an abundance of moisture is evidenced by the lush growth of forest, pastures and agricultural crops in Skagit County.

Rainfall. The “rule of thumb” is to add one inch of moisture for each mile traveled east from Puget Sound. Anacortes averages 25 inches per year; Marblemount, 95 inches per year. The driest year since 1948 was in 1987, when precipitation total was 20.71 inches. The wettest year was 1990, with 47.20 inches.

Approximately 20% of the rainfall in Mount Vernon occurs June through September. The sun shines 65% of the time in summer, and 25% of the time in winter.

Temperature

The highest temperature ever on record at the WSU Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center (NWREC) at Mount Vernon was 98°F on August 9, 1960. The average summer temperature is 73°F. The highest recorded winter temperature for December, January and February was 65°F. The lowest temperature on record was -4°F on January 26, 1957. WSU NWREC has been keeping records since 1948.

Weather

2025 Weather Picture

The winter of 2024/2025 began on November 25^th with the first frost of the season. The coldest day of the year occurred on January 15^th at 16°F. The mild winter did not impact on the perennial cropping systems in Skagit County in the 2024/2025 growing season, with few reported crop failures due to freezing weather on cabbage seed, raspberries and/or blackberries. The spring of 2025 had small periodic rain events that slowed the planting process for hours rather than days, with below average rain events for the year 28.2 inches. The precipitation carried into the summer with hardly any rain in the month of July of 0.05 inches and an abnormal rain event on August 31^st (1.58 inches). Irrigation occurred in Skagit County at a higher than average frequency. Harvest was on track for most farms going into the month of October when a 0.89 rain event occurred on October 24^th followed by smaller rain events each day complete with 0.55 on October 28th and 0.62 on November 1^st, which brought out the big chains and slogging through the mud for the remainder of the winter. Most meteorologists are predicting 2026 to be an El Niño year with hotter and drier weather. 

Freeze

Frost Free Days

The lower Skagit Valley area has approximately 230 growing days and the upper valley has approximately 200 growing days. The last spring frost in the lower valley is estimated to occur about April 15, and the first fall frost occurs about October 15.

Agricultural Facts

Irrigation

In June, July and August, irrigation was used on approximately 19,000 acres of cropland in 2025. This was slightly below the 2024 record set for the most acres irrigated in Skagit County (20,000). The main crops irrigated were corn, grass pasture, berries, potatoes, vegetable seed crops, and tree fruits.

Soils

The Skagit Valley was formed by water-deposited (alluvial) soils. Most cropland and pasture land in the county is located in the floodplain-delta area. This area covers the valley floor and extends east along the Skagit River and its tributaries. There are five primary soil types in the floodplain-delta area. Three types are located in the floodplain: Skagit (26%), which consists of silt loam, silty clay loam, and a small amount of very fine sandy loam; Sumas (15%); and Field (14%). The other two types are found along the Skagit River: Lorus (17%) and Pilchuck (14%). Floodplain soils are highly productive under dry land farming. Elevation in this area ranges from sea level to 500 feet.

Soil wetness is the major limitation for crops in the floodplain area. The Skagit and Samish Rivers have had a long history of flooding. The Skagit River from just west of Sedro-Woolley to the Puget Sound, is protected from flooding by dikes and levees. The floodplain areas along the lower reaches of the Samish Rive, below Thomas Creek, are flooded almost every year.

Skagit Agriculture Fun Facts

• Skagit County is a major producer of cabbage, table beet, and spinach seed for the world. There are six vegetable seed companies in the county, most of which market products worldwide.
• There are two remaining processing companies in Skagit County: Sakuma Brothers and Gielow Pickles.
• There are two major ag-supply dealers in the Valley: Skagit Farmers Supply and Wilbur-Ellis provide supplies and services to farmers.
• More tulip and daffodil bulbs are produced in Skagit County than in any county in the United States.
• Skagit County ranks fifth in dairy production in Washington State.
• About 10,000 Trumpeter and Tundra swans, 100,000 Snow geese, and thousands more of mallard and other dabbling ducks utilize Skagit farmland for food and habitat. Skagit County is host to one of the highest concentrations of raptors, which also utilize farmland, in North America.
• Every year since 1999 approximately 20,000 visitors enjoy the Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms.

Agricultural Labor

Minimum wage in the state of Washington is the highest in the country, the result of a 1998 citizens’ initiative passed by voters that links the minimum wage to the Federal Consumer Price Index.

Skagit County Population Growth

Washington State Minimum Wage

CROPS

In the past the Skagit County processing industry revolved around green peas. 2010 marked the first year since the early 1900s that no commercial pea processing took place in Skagit County. As a result, growers have been experimenting with new crops in hopes of finding the next niche.

Potatoes have become a very important crop with acreage expanding significantly over the past fifteen years. Other crops, such as cole crops, vegetable seed crops, cucumbers, flower bulbs and small fruits contribute less in gross dollars, but are very important. The net return to the grower on these crops is relatively high and they provide diversification and many jobs.

Crops A-C

Apples

Apple acreage in Skagit County is on the decline. The 2025 Skagit crop showed average yields and average quality with a lower pricing structure.

Our coastal climate allows us to grow varieties that are different from those grown in the large apple-producing regions of central Washington. Varieties grown here such as Jonagold, Gravenstein, Spartan, Akane and Honey Crisp are excellent apples to consume, but with no apple processing facilities in Skagit County, shipping the apples back and forth across the mountain passes makes commercial production unprofitable.

In 1998 Washington State Department of Agriculture added Skagit to the list of counties quarantined against apple maggot. WSU Skagit County Extension initiated the formation of the Skagit County Horticultural Pest and Disease Board to develop programs to prevent the pest from infesting commercial orchards.

Blueberries

Harvested by hand and machine, about half the crop is sold for fresh market and half is processed. Yields and quality in this area are high relative to traditional production areas in the Midwest and eastern North America. New cultivars are replacing older ones and production is modernizing so the industry remains competitive on a national and international stage. The county produces some organic blueberry, but most growers are not certified organic due to high disease and pest pressure.

Blackberries

Skagit County leads in-state blackberry production and the acreage of this crop has expanded in recent years due to a rise in fresh market opportunities. Winter hardiness is an important barrier to cultivating blackberries in northwest Washington with semierect cultivars (e.g., ‘Celestial’) being more adapted than trailing cultivars (e.g., ‘Marion’). Blackberry/red raspberry hybrids such as ‘Tayberry’, ‘Boysen’, and ‘Logan’ are also cultivated on a small scale for local markets.

Bulb Crops

Approximately 500 acres of tulips and daffodils are grown in Skagit County. They are sold for both cut flowers and bulbs and shipped throughout the U.S. and Canada. About 20 million bulbs are harvested each summer in Skagit County. About 60 million cut flowers are grown in greenhouses and fields, accounting for over 50% of overall sales. About 250 acres of tulips are grown in the Valley, which represents 75% of U.S. commercial production. Skagit County is known worldwide for its Tulip Festival, which occurs the entire month of April. The Tulip Festival began in 1984 and now brings an estimated 300,000 visitors and $65 million in revenue to the county.
The bulb industry averages about $20 million in annual gross income, $3 million of which is in bulb sales. Since 1968, flower prices have increased three times, while bulbs have only doubled, but prices have decreased steadily since 2000. There are now only two bulb-growing farms in the region. Iris production was discontinued in 2016.

Brussels Sprouts

Skagit County’s USDA Zone 8a, with an average growing season of about 208 days, provides ideal conditions for approximately 1,200 acres of Brussels sprout production. The moderate climate, combined with well-drained silt loam soil and good organic matter, allows for firm, tightly packed heads that are firm to the touch. The cool weather also enhances flavor, with light frosts improving sweetness. Farmers in the Skagit Valley maintained acreages for important rotational crops like brussels sprouts largely for the disease suppression that brassica crops provide via bio fumigation.

Chickens and Eggs

Washington is ranked 19th in the nation for egg production. Two companies produce the majority of the eggs in Skagit County: National Foods and Wilcox Farms. These two farms account for hundreds of millions of eggs being produced in Skagit County and Washington State.
In 2024 the retail price for a dozen eggs in the United States was rose from $1.97 to $3.23 U.S. dollars. Setting a new peak that hasn’t been seen since 2015.
The sole Washington-owned chicken processor in the state, Draper Valley Farms, is located in Mount Vernon. The company employs approximately 500 people and has sales around 80 million dollars.
In the United States, the price for a pound of fresh whole chicken cost consumers an average of $2.06 which has increased over previous years.

Crops C-R

Cucumbers

The lone large scale commercial pickle cucumber processor in Washington State is Gielow Pickles located at the Port of Skagit County with headquarters located in Lexington, MI. According to their website, “Making pickles is in our blood. When our family began making pickles in the early 1900’s, our goal was to make the highest quality pickle at a competitive price. Today, our goal remains the same. The use of automated packaging equipment, direct contact with growers across America, and the buying power of the market leaders enables Gielow Pickles to accomplish our goal.”

Potatoes

Potato acreage consists primarily of fresh market reds, whites, yellows, purple, fingerlings and some chipping potatoes. Skagit potatoes are in demand for their high quality. Late blight disease is a constant threat to the industry. However, due to a study of all the growers in Skagit and northern Snohomish counties, WSU Skagit County Extension was able to determine that Potato Virus Y (PVY) and Silver Scurf continues to be more of a problem for area growers. Researchers at WSU NWREC and WSU Skagit County Extension are now working on these issues. Because of the need for a three-year rotation, there is limited ground available for the 11,000 acres of potatoes currently grown in Skagit County. Overall production remained relatively constant for potatoes despite consolidation of the industry. There were over 2,000 acres of potatoes that were not harvested in 2025 based on heavy rains throughout the harvest season.

Raspberries

Most of the raspberry acreage in Skagit County is now harvested by hand for the fresh market due to a major reduction in raspberry production for processing beginning around 2010 and a switch from raspberry to blueberry production. Most of the raspberry production in Washington State is concentrated in Whatcom County.  The top 5 commercial varieties based on sales are WakeHaven, WakeField, Kulshan, Meeker and Cascade Premier.

Seed Crops

A large variety of vegetable seed crops are grown in the Skagit Valley. The top 3 in both acreage and farmgate value are spinach, cabbage and beet seed. Skagit and Snohomish counties produce nearly 75% of the US supply of spinach and cabbage seed and nearly 95% of the U.S. table beet seed. Skagit County is known as a significant world contributor with approximately 8% of the world’s spinach seed, 25% of the world’s cabbage seed, and 25% of the world’s beet seed. Other vegetable seeds produced in Skagit County include arugula, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, coriander, mustard, parsley, parsnip, rutabaga, swiss chard and turnip.

Vegetable seed production is highly technical and often involves long rotation intervals — sometimes stretching beyond a decade. Skagit County farmers have developed innovative tools and cultural practices along with a close relationship with Washington State University research scientists and Extension professionals to be proactive in managing specialty seed crops challenges.

Vegetable seeds from the Skagit County are marketed all over the world. The need for isolation distances to prevent contamination from cross-pollination keeps the vegetable seed acreage below 5,000 acres in Skagit County. Skagit-based seed companies contract some of their acreage with Snohomish, Island, Whatcom and Clallam County growers. To protect these areas, seed companies joined together in the 1940s to designate where the crops would be grown. On the first Monday in March and again in June, the seed companies meet at WSU NWREC for the annual pinning days that determine which crop/variety will be planted and where. It is this spirit of cooperation that keeps the seed industry growing in Skagit County.

Beet, spinach and cabbage seed harvest was average for the 2025 season.

There are nine vegetable seed companies in Skagit County: Sakata, Illinois Foundation, McDonald, Rijk Zwaan, Schafer, Skagit Seed Services, Syngenta, Universal and Vikima Seeds USA.

Some turf and forage grasses for seed are also grown in Skagit County; production varies widely depending upon market volatility.

Crops S-Z

Strawberries

Skagit County produces high quality strawberries that historically were sold on the processing market. Strawberry acreage is decreasing in Skagit County and elsewhere in Washington State due to shifting markets, difficulty securing labor and the disbanding of the in-state strawberry commission. Many growers are shifting to day-neutral, fresh market cultivars to capture more of the fresh market. Important processing cultivars are ‘Puget Reliance’, ‘Totem’, ‘Tillamook’, ‘Hood’, and ‘Sweet Sunrise’. ‘Albion’ is the top fresh-market, day-neutral cultivar.

Wine Grapes

The marine climate in the Skagit Valley is similar in many ways to the fine-wine-producing areas of France and Germany. Research conducted from 1976 to 1988 at WSU NWREC produced a number of white wine grape varieties, which have already proven successful in area vineyards. More recent research involves projects in evaluating new wine grape varieties and rootstock trials evaluating potential for earlier maturity in ‘Pinot Noir’ grapes.
Currently there are 7 wineries producing 25,000 cases of wine on approximately one hundred
acres valued at over $1 million.

Organic Farming

Organic production continues to grow in Skagit County and is valued at more than thirty million dollars making it the highest organic agricultural producing county in Western Washington.
WSU Skagit County Extension has been teaching the Cultivating Success Beginning Farmer and Rancher course and the Agricultural Entrepreneur bilingual 12-week course since 2006 and has now moved to a statewide platform. To date more than 1000 students have been educated on organic/sustainable agricultural production.

Dairy

U.S. dairy product consumption statistics reveal interesting trends. The USDA’s Economic Research Service reports the following changes between 2024 and 2025:

• Dry Milk and Whey: 12.1% decrease in consumption
• Butter: 10.1% increase in consumption
• Cheese: 3.4% increase in consumption
• Sherbert: 19.3% increase in consumption
• Frozen products: 1.7% decrease in consumption

Sources: 2025 Washington Annual Agriculture Bulletin, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Northwest Regional Field Office. 2025 Pacific Northwest Federal Milk Marketing Order, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Dairy Programs

Table 1. Skagit County Milk Production Data 2012-2024

Table 2. Skagit County Milk Production Data 2025

Vegetable Seed

Table 1. Vegetable Seed Production in Western Washington (Acres)

Table 2. Vegetable Seed Production in Western Washington (Dollars)

Crop Acreage/Yield

Table 1. Skagit County Crop Acreage Summary

Statistical Summary

Skagit County Total and Per Farm Overview, 2022 and change since 2017

2022 Census of Agriculture County Profile

Crops Grown

Commercial Crops Grown in Skagit County

Fruit

Tree Fruit

Vegetables

Seed Crops

Seed/Pulse Crops (Other)

Small Grains

Forage Crops

Flowers and Bulbs

Miscellaneous Crops

Involvement

Organizations, Businesses and Agencies Serving Skagit County Agriculture

Acknowlegements

We wish to express our appreciation to the following for their assistance in the gathering of data for this report: