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Mason County Small Farms
WSU Mason County Extension in Partnership with Mason
Conservation District Working
with the Mason County community to foster profitable family farms, land and water
stewardship, and access to healthy food.
Mason
County is full of unique natural resources. It is one of the most productive shellfish
areas in North America, has two different Native American tribal fisheries, a
history of family farming, is famous for its Christmas Trees, and is home to the
bays and inlets of the Puget Sound and Hood Canal and the peaks of the Olympic
Mountains. At the same time, the population growth rate is one of the highest
in the state, and there is ever-increasing pressure being put on these finite
resources. What
is a "small farm"?
According to the United States Department of Agriculture's National Commission
on Small Farms, "small farms" are defined as:
"farms
with less than $250,000 gross receipts annually on which day-to-day labor and
management are provided by the farmer and/or farm family that owns the production
or owns, or leases, the productive assets"
In 2002, 301 of the 320
Mason County farms met these criteria - that's 94%. That said, small farms play
a vital role in our county's economy, food system, and natural resources.
Program Description
The Small
Farms Program is a partnership between WSU Mason County Extension and Mason Conservation
District. Together, they fund a full-time employee to address food and farm issues
in Mason County. As
part of the WSU Small Farms Team, the program strives to: - Build
public support for agriculture
- Help
farmers adopt practices that are sustainable-economically, socially and environmentally
- Unify
farmers and consumers in developing local markets and community food access
- Preserve
Washington farmland for food and fiber production
The
Mason County Small Farms Program is designed to provide technical assistance,
educational opportunities, economic opportunities, and a direct link to state
and federal resources available to family farmers. Because of the unique partnership
with the WSU Mason County Extension and the Mason Conservation District, the staff
is able to provide the following: - Conservation
Plans (a.k.a. Farm Plans) to help landowners inventory the resources on their
property (soil, water, livestock, crops, etc.), identify the objectives of their
farm, and create a dynamic plan that reflects those objectives while protecting
the quality of the natural resources.
- Cost-share
agreements that can pay for 50 - 75% of some approved Best Management Practices
(i.e. waste storage structures, riparian fencing, cross fencing, composting facilities,
gutters and downspouts, livestock heavy-use areas, and many more).
- Educational
opportunities - workshops, conferences, continuing education classes, field trips,
on-farm research, etc.
- Access
to the vast resources of the Washington State University's Small Farms Team.
- Access
to USDA cost-share programs like CREP, EQIP, CSP, WRP, and others.
- Connecting
the community with local agriculture and building support through projects like
the Mason County Farm Map, Harvest Celebration Farm Tours, the Food & Farm
Network, educational displays at local events, and much more.
Food
& Farm Network
The Food & Farm Network (FFN) is a way for all people interested in food
and farm issues in Mason County to get together on a regular basis and share ideas
and information. It is also an opportunity to educate ourselves on current food
and farm issues. Mason County's FFN is brand new and we haven't set a regular
meeting time yet. Please check back soon for a more concrete schedule. Contact
Information
Kirsten C. Workman
Small Farms Extension Educator
SE 1051
Highway 3, Suite G
Shelton, WA 98584
(360) 427-9436
(800) 527-9436
(360) 427-7396 FAX
kworkman@wsu.edu http://mason.wsu.edu
http://www.masoncd.org
http://smallfarms.wsu.edu | | | |
