Washington Agriculture and the Economy including Marketing and Economic Development
The protection of farms and farmlands is good economic policy; farms are businesses that provide jobs.
Contents
- Statistics about Farming
- Economic Benefits of Agriculture
- General Economic Development Programs and Strategies to Promote Farming
- Economic Benefits of Agriculture
Statistics about Farming
The following are several useful sources of statistics about agriculture in Washington State:
- Washington Field Office, US Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
- Washington Fact Sheets - Includes top 40 agricultural commodities in Washington and Washington’s rank in the nation’s agriculture
- Census of Agriculture, Washington State Information (2002 Census of Agriculture)
- A Characterization of Puget Sound Agriculture, A Report to the Puget Sound Shared Strategy, Evergreen Funding Consultants, March 2004
- Farming on the Edge Program, American Farmland Trust - Project uses maps to lay out threats to prime farmland - Washington State Map - Shows Washington farmland in the path of development.
Economic Benefits of Agriculture
There are many ways to measure the impact of agriculture on the economy. Traditionally, the farming sector was considered to include only economic production and employment associated with crops and livestock. Today, most economists take a broader approach and include food processing and marketing as part of the agricultural and food-related sector. Some consider restaurants as part of the overall agriculture and food-related sector.
In recent years, agricultural commodity commissions have taken a strong role in marketing and have conducted economic impact studies.
- "Consolidation and Change in the Washington Agri-Food Complex," White Paper prepared by Robert A. Chase, Chase Economics, prepared for Washington Department of Agriculture, Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development and Washington Department of Employment Security, September 1999
- Agricultural Commodity Commissions
- Washington Wine Commission, including 2002 Washington Wine Grape Acreage Survey and State Wine Facts
- Northwest Income Indicators Project - Allows access to web-based programs to create graphic trends analysis of local economic indicators and generate shift-share analysis results to diagnose local employment growth
- Oregon Study - "Agriculture and The Oregon Economy," by Jim Cornelius, David Holland, Edward Waters, and Bruce Weber, Oregon State University Extension Service (2000).
General Economic Development Programs and Strategies to Promote Farming
Agricultural economic development includes a range of loan and grant programs, the development of high-value agricultural products and services, direct marketing of farm products, and diversification.
- Agricultural Economic Development Fact Sheet, American Farmland Trust
- Direct Farm Marketing & Tourism Handbook, University of Arizona, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, 2002 - information on business planning, advertising, farmers' markets and more
- Agriculture-Based Economic & Community Development, Cornell University
- Eastern Washington Agriculture, Food Processing Partnership, Tri-County Workforce Council - Award-winning program
- The Suitability, Viability, Needs, and Economic Future of Pierce County Agriculture, American Farmland Trust, 2004
- Case Studies in County-Based Agricultural Economic & Community Development, Cornell University, Community, Food & Agriculture Program
- The New Farm - Farmer-to-Farmer Know-How from the Rodale Institute
- Washington State University Small Farms Team.
Agricultural Economic Development Planning
Agriculture and related rural development issues can be integrated into local and regional economic development planning efforts.
- Keeping the Rural Vision: Protecting Rural Character and Planning for Rural Development, Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, 1999
- Community Based Agricultural Development, Keystone Agricultural Innovation Center, Pennsylvania State University
- Broome County, NY, Agricultural Economic Development Plan, 2001
- Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University
- Rural Development Homepage, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Federal and State Economic Development Programs and Funding
These include programs at the federal and state level designed to assist farmers and preserve farmland through loans, incentives, or other programs.
- Farmland Preservation Grant Program, Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) - Administered by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Grants are available to help cities and counties preserve economically viable farmlands in Washington and to enhance ecological functions on these lands. The farmland program was established in 2005.
- Rural Strategic Investment Program Fact Sheet, American Planning Association - The Rural Strategic Investment Program was established under the 2002 Farm Bill reauthorization. The program provides $100 million for rural regional planning and plan implementation. Individual planning grants are capped at $100,000 and are designed to be used for the development of regional plans.
- Small Farms Program, US Department of Agriculture
- Agriculture Marketing Service, US Department of Agriculture.
Direct marketing involves marketing strategies in which the farmer or producer sells their products directly to the consumer. It generally means activities in which farmers are engaged in personally selling their products and avoiding the use of a broker or wholesaler.
- Farmers Markets and Direct-to-Consumer Marketing , US Department of Agriculture
- From the Heart of Washington Program - Marketing campaign designed to increase demand for Washington specialty crops by Washington buyers, and to present an accurate picture of the value of agriculture as part of the state's economy and its key role in sustaining rural communities.
- Puget Sound Fresh - Created by King County Agricultural Commission and supported by partnership between King, Snohomish, and other Puget Sound counties.
- An Overview of Small Farm Direct Marketing, by M.E. Swisher and James Sterns, University of Florida, IFAS Extension, 2003
- Direct Farm Marketing & Tourism Handbook, University of Arizona, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, 2002
- The Handbook of Regulations for Direct Farm Marketing "The Green Book",
5th edition, Washington State Department of Agriculture, Small Farm and Direct Marketing Program, 2005.
- Small Farm & Direct Marketing Assistance, Washington Department of Agriculture
- Internet Marketing for Farms, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Factsheet No. 510, King County WSU Extension
- North American Farmers' Direct Marketing Association
- Thurston County Direct Sales Food Map, 2007
- Wahkiakum Food and Farm Network
Community-Supported Agriculture
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a form of food production, sales, and distribution aimed at both increasing the quality of food and the quality of care given the land, plants and animals – while reducing potential food losses and financial risks for the producers. It is also a method for small-scale commercial farmers and gardeners to have a successful, small-scale, often local, market. CSA’s focus is usually on a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetable, fruit and other produce.
- Community-Supported Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- CSA organizations and Web sites, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Community-Supported Agriculture, Washington State University Small Farms
- “The History of Community Supported Agriculture, Part I, Community Farms in the 21st Century:
Poised for Another Wave of Growth?” By Steven McFadden, The New Farm.
Eat Local Movement
The local food movement is a collaborative effort to build locally based, self-reliant food economies, which involves sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption. It is part of the concept of local purchasing, a preference to buy locally produced goods and services.
- Puget Sound Fresh Local Food Policy, King County
- King County Eat Smart Program - Information for King County employees and their families
- 100 Mile Diet – Local eating for global change
- Clallam Grown – Why Eat Local?
- Clark County Food & Farm BLOG - Information on farms, farming, and other agricultural and gastronomic topics within and/or related to Clark County
- Eat Local Northwest Central Washington
- Northwest Eat Local
- Slow Food USA - Supports good, clean, fair food that is environmentally sustainable.
"Agricultural tourism" refers to the act of visiting a working farm or any agricultural, horticultural or agribusiness operation for the purpose of enjoyment, education, or active involvement in the activities of the farm or operation.
- Agricultural Tourism Project, University of California Small Farm Center
- Linking Agriculture and Tourism, Cornell University
- Chilliwack, BC, Agricultural Tourism
- Agri-tourism Links, Washington State University
- Entertainment Farming & Agri-Tourism, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA)
- The MAiZE - Corn maze information provided by The MAiZE Company.