Creative cultivation: Whatcom County farmers adapt to the changing landscape of agriculture

Bellingham Business Journal, Sept, 2007 by Heidi Schiller

The first thing you notice when meeting a farmer is their handshake.

Some are leathery and dirt-caked, others are flakey with dust.

Just one grip can radiate a sense of hardened determination and down-to-the-bone weariness, but also an intimation of optimism.

For many Whatcom County farmers, the sweat and stress of working in such a volatile business has its rewards--a good season, a profit, and a literally deep-rooted connection to the county's land and community.

But it's far from easy. Whether it's the risk associated with single-crop or single-market farming, the average age of farm owners, or the loss of farmland to a county burgeoning with development, the challenges plaguing farms across the United States also apply to Whatcom County.

A condensed history of the county's agriculture shows it has boasted grains and hops, strawberries and poultry in its day, but dairy has historically prevailed as its stronghold.

Strawberries debuted in the '20s and '30s on land the dairymen didn't want, and persisted until the California strawberry industry unfurled its massive, price-competitive industry onto the market.

Local farmers adjusted by starting to grow raspberries in the '70s and '80s--now the county's biggest crop--and lately blueberries have been gaining traction as another successful option. But the cows continue to come home as the county's biggest agricultural stars in terms of market value.

More recently, raspberry farmers were hit with an especially hot day in early July this year that destroyed about 20 percent of the season's harvest, followed by a week of rain that harmed further production. While prices for raspberries were better than last year, the season was disappointing. However, raspberry farmers who have diversified by harvesting blueberries, as well, mitigated some of those losses.

Whatcom County currently represents the largest agricultural economy in Western Washington, ranking sixth in agricultural production in the state with almost $300 million in market value, according to the 2002 Census of Agriculture (the next one comes out in fall 2008). Despite the numbers, some seem to have the impression that Whatcom County agriculture is on its way out.

But Henry Bierlink thinks those naysayers are wrong.

Bierlink is the director for public policy at Whatcom County Farm Friends--formerly the Whatcom County Agriculture Preservation Committee--and he believes in the ability of local farmers to adjust to challenges in the industry.

"(Whatcom County agriculture) has always been dynamic. It changes to meet the current times and changing conditions," he said. "I hear from some people that say it is dying.

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"It is different," he said. "Some are struggling, and some are doing very well."

The stories on the following six pages illuminate how Whatcom County farmers and industry professionals, as well as local governments, are adjusting to these challenges with innovative practices and policies to keep farms viable, and how most of them are reaping rewards from their efforts.

Diversification

When the price of raspberries plummeted in the early '80s, the Boxx family decided it was time to get off the single-crop roller coaster ride.

Boxx Berry Farm had mainly produced raspberries and some strawberries for processors since Roger Boxx's parents started the farm on Northwest Road in the early '60s. Seasons' profits fluctuated heavily depending on the weather and the price processors offered for the berries, which hinged on basic supply-and-demand principles as well as whether the processors could purchase mass quantities of berries from large international producers for a cheaper price.

Most of Whatcom County's berry farmers still sell to large processors, such as Smuckers and Ocean Spray that use the berries in jams or juices, but about a third of the roughly too growers have supplemented their revenue streams by adding blueberries and some strawberries, Bierlink said. The trend toward berry diversification began about 10 years ago and has intensified recently. Bierlink said diversification can help farmers mitigate bad weather and bad prices by adding a supplemental source of revenue. Boxx Berry Farm has taken this trend a step further.

The farm now grows a diverse range of crops, including berries, carrots, potatoes, flowers, onions, garlic, green beans, corn and cucumbers, and sells them directly to consumers from its farm stand and to retailers like Joe's Garden and Haggen. The farm stand also sells apricots, cherries, nectarines and peaches from Eastern Washington.

"Now it's a lot more stable," Boxx said.

At about 105 acres, Boxx Berry is one of the largest farms in Whatcom County to diversify its crops and markets, but a number of farmers are catching onto the trend, which essentially allows them to hedge their bets in a business that can be frequently unpredictable.

While Whatcom County agriculture is also experiencing a trend in consolidation into large farms, the growth in new market opportunities is creating an increase in smaller diversified farms, said Paul Grey, executive director for Farm Friends. Many large commodity berry and dairy farms have dealt with limited or no control over prices by joining co-ops, such as the Darigold milk co-op or the Northwest Berry Co-op. Both Bierlink and Grey noted several examples of smaller local farms diversifying, as well. For example, some dairy farmers are also growing raspberries or corn on their land, or adding a composting or energy production business (see sidebar on Vender Haak Dairy).