June 30th, 2009
The June OFP newsletter includes an update of the Easterday Stockwatering issue and also updates of the Clark County urban livestock proposal for livestock owners outside city limits, but still within the Urban Growth Area. Also of interest is federal legislation before Congress and information on free webinars.
If you have suggestions for newsletter content, please feel free to contact OFP at jgiuntoli@scc.wa.gov
June 29th, 2009
Found today in TrendCentral.Com
There are many reasons why the time is ripe (pun intended) for the old fashioned domestic art of canning to make a comeback. No longer limited to the trendsetting urban locavores crowding city farmers markets in search of ramps and fiddleheads, the desire for local and sustainable sources of fresh food is becoming common even among the most mainstream consumers. As concerned as they are with health and food safety, they are also paying closer attention to the origins and production processes of the food they eat. Homespun produce gardening, widely publicized by our First Lady, has made grow-your-own an aspirational practice. If you don’t have a yard (or a green thumb, for that matter), land sharing and voluntary harvesting are viable alternatives. In any form, DIY canning not only speaks to the anti-waste movement, but also serves the emerging penny pincher in all of us given the state of our economy.
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June 29th, 2009
The Office of Farmland Preservation is pleased to present this week’s ‘News and Views’ feature, a collection of news features, articles, and editorials on the subject of agriculture from media outlets around the state. The information and opinions contained in the articles are those of their respective authors, and are not necessarily those of the Office of Farmland Preservation or the Washington State Conservation Commission.
June 17th, 2009
In 2007, it was recognized by staff of the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) and the Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC) that there was a need to provide financial and technical assistance to county planning staff to develop local farmland preservation programs. By providing support to local entities to develop agriculture strategic plans, it was hoped farmland preservation actions could be sustained over time.
To further these goals, RCO identified and set aside $200,000 from the farmland preservation portion of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) funding to be used for grants to local entities. The grant program would be administered by the Office of Farmland Preservation (OFP). There were 14 applications for the grants, from which eight were selected: Clallam, Clark, Jefferson, Kittitas, Klickitat, San Juan, Thurston, and Whatcom.
The summary results of these grants is available for download.
County Assistance Grants Final Report to RCO
June 17th, 2009
The Office of Farmland Preservation is pleased to present this week’s ‘News and Views’ feature, a collection of news features, articles, and editorials on the subject of agriculture from media outlets around the state. The information and opinions contained in the articles are those of their respective authors, and are not necessarily those of the Office of Farmland Preservation or the Washington State Conservation Commission.
June 8th, 2009
Spokane, Wash. (June 8, 2009) — Farmers and ranchers in Western Washington and two Eastern Washington counties have a short time to take advantage of a program to help protect their grasslands from development. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the 2009 sign-up for the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) and will be accepting applications through June 26, 2009.
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June 8th, 2009
The Office of Farmland Preservation is pleased to present this week’s ‘News and Views’ feature, a collection of news features, articles, and editorials on the subject of agriculture from media outlets around the state. The information and opinions contained in the articles are those of their respective authors, and are not necessarily those of the Office of Farmland Preservation or the Washington State Conservation Commission.
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June 2nd, 2009
The Office of Farmland Preservation is pleased to present this week’s ‘News and Views’ feature, a collection of news features, articles, and editorials on the subject of agriculture from media outlets around the state. The information and opinions contained in the articles are those of their respective authors, and are not necessarily those of the Office of Farmland Preservation or the Washington State Conservation Commission.
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June 1st, 2009
WASHINGTON, May 29, 2009 - For the first time, results from the Census of Agriculture have been published at the watershed level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
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May 26th, 2009
The May OFP newsletter includes an update on a wetland mitigation dispute in Skagit County, information on a Urban Livestock Task Force in Clark County, a request of an Attorney General Opinion on exempt wells, as well as other items of interest.
If you have suggestions for newsletter content, please feel free to contact OFP at jgiuntoli@scc.wa.gov
The Office of Farmland Preservation functions as an agency under the auspices of the Washington State Conservation Commission.