Snohomish County purchased the development rights to 50 acres of prime farmland south of Monroe. The purchased rights preclude any new development on the land, preserving it for agricultural uses essentially forever. This is an important move because, in an area like the Snohomish River Valley, farmland is bombarded with development spreading out from the cities. Preserving farmland keeps a foothold for local food production to help feed these cities.

Community to Community, one of our partner organizations, recently received a grant from the USDA Farmers' Markets Promotion Program. The purpose of the grant is to create stronger connections between the people the grow our food and consumers. The primary avenue for this program is through farmers markets, however, it is possible to work with Community Supported Agriculture programs or other direct marketing services.

In a wonderful piece, KUOW interviews Rosalinda Guillen of Community to Community and the farmers of Cooperativa Jacal about the next generation of farmers in this region. It describes the emerging trends in farming: more farmers are retiring (the average age of farmers in Washington is 55) and the rate of new farmers can't keep up. Immigrant farmers nationwide are filling in this gap, providing hope for renewed local agricultural economies. The farmers interviewed here illustrate the empowerment found in farming and providing quality food to our communities.

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The die-off of pollinating bees alarms researchers, farmers, and everyone else around the world. The die-off, called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), threatens about a third of the food we eat. It has been difficult finding a culprit, from cell phones to parasites, but nothing has proven to be realistic or true. Until now.

Oregon released a report giving some details into the use of pesticides and herbicides within the state. The report is a starting point for understanding the economic, environmental, and social benefits/costs of using these types of soil amendments.

"The bulk of the pesticides, about 85 percent, were used for agriculture, from potato fields to nurseries to Christmas tree farms. Two of the top five chemicals applied -- the fumigants metam-sodium and 1,3-dichoropropene -- are listed as cancer causing in California's reporting system."...