Skagit Valley Farms in Washington - Supporting the Economy

This weekend my husband and our boys visited several local farms for the Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms. It was our first interactive experience with the agricultural community in Skagit County.

The Festival of Family Farms is a weekend full of fun and educational activities about the local agriculture in Skagit Valley, Washington. Thirteen farms from Bow to Mount Vernon and from Rockport to La Conner participated this year. Each welcomed the general public to view of the inner workings of their farms. Many provided tours of the facilities. Each offered samples of their unique homegrown products.

We were able to visit four of the farms on Saturday. We enjoyed a hayride, viewed modern and antique farm equipment, petted animals, tasted local foods and produce, and learned how important Skagit County's agriculture is to the state economy.

Double O Ranch and Overnell's Heritage Inn

We joined the hayride Double O Ranch and Overnell's Heritage Inn, which took us on a scenic tour. The ranch stretches across 580 acres and is also a wildlife preserve. The tour took us through the dense beauty of Washington Forests into a field with cows at pasture and a breathtaking view of Mt. Baker.

Martiny Suffolks Sheep Ranch

Our second farm of the day was Martiny Suffolks. We sampled delicious ground lamb, lamb breakfast sausage, and lamb rib-lets. We also visited the sheep and learned how wool is processed. Martiny Suffolks also raises Angus beef. They sell lamb and beef at wholesale prices directly to the public.

Hemlock Highland Ranch

The last two locations were directly across the road from each other. At Hemlock Highland Ranch, we had a flavorful lunch of barbecued highland beef prepared by EEEEEEK's BBQ. We relaxed to the sounds of Valorie Newson, a local Scottish Fiddler. The boys rode a donkey and petted the shaggy Highland calves.

Eagle Haven Winery and Perkins Apply Orchard

Eagle Have Winery and Perkins Apple Orchard was our final stop. Here my husband and I sampled the local red wine. The Orchard has a retail store where they sell a variety of apples. We tasted an apple called "Winter Banana." It was red with firm crunch and a tart flavor.

Facts about Skagit County Agriculture

Visiting the local farms motivated me to learn more about our local agriculture. I was very impressed to find out that Skagit County is ranked eighth in the State of Washington for the amount of crops and livestock exported in the year 2007. We provided $256 million of the $9.3 million in products exported in 2007.

Washington State was ranked as the second largest producing state in the United States for potatoes in 2007. Skagit County provided 95% of the red potatoes exported. We are the top-producing county in the country for tulip, daffodil, and iris bulbs. We are also the leading strawberry producer in the state.

Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms Mission

According to the Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms website, their festival mission is: "To promote Skagit County agriculture by cultivating the bond between farmers and the community through education and hospitality." My family's experience with the few local farms we visited accomplished this goal. We are very excited to have discovered high quality local foods. We plan to shop directly from local farmers' markets and from the farms themselves to support our local farms and economy.