Pacific Northwest More Information - American Farmland Trust

We’ve detected that you are using an outdated browser.

Please use a new browser like Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge to improve your experience.

We’ve detected that you are using an outdated browser.
From the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, an unusually diverse climate and landscape make the Pacific Northwest one of the most vital – and most threatened – farming regions in the country.

 

Pacific Northwest growers feed people across the United States and around the world. Agriculture is woven into the fabric of Washington’s, Oregon’s, and Idaho’s heritage and has been an important part of the Pacific Northwest’s culture since the earliest days of territorial settlement. Farmers and ranchers steward over 40 million acres of the region’s lands.

Why are Pacific Northwest farms and ranches so important?

Jobs and Prosperity

The food and farming industry in Oregon and Washington employs nearly 400,000 people and accounts for nearly 15 percent of regional economic activity.

Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity

Pacific Northwest farms and ranches provide critical habitat for a wide range of plant and animal species, from migratory birds to endangered salmon.

The Food We Eat

The Pacific Northwest is one of the nation’s top producers of a multitude of crops and farm products, from fruits, berries and wine grapes to potatoes, seed crops, wheat, and seafood. Roughly 70 percent of the nation’s apples are grown in Washington state. Over 80 percent of the world’s sweet corn seed crop is grown in Idaho. Oregon produces 99 percent of the U.S. hazelnut crop.

Water Quality and Climate Change

Pacific Northwest farms and ranches provide a range of environmental benefits, from filtering drinking water and absorbing floodwaters to helping in the fight against climate change.

The Pacific Northwest’s farms and ranches power a diverse agricultural economy. In addition to our top commodities, including apples, wheat, milk, and potatoes, the region is a major producer of cattle, hops, hazelnuts, stone fruits, onions, and mint.

Farming is integral to the Pacific Northwest’s economy, environment, and way of life. But it’s also at risk. Urban development and sprawl are rapidly consuming some of our best farmland.

At the same time, farmers face intense environmental challenges – from protecting fragile salmon habitat to adapting to the uncertainties of climate change.

What are the challenges?

Development

The Pacific Northwest's best farmland and ranchland is disappearing. Because farms are so easy to develop, and because global economic changes have made farming harder than ever, our farmland is at great risk.

Generational Transfer

Over 30 percent of Pacific Northwest farmland is set to change hands in the next 15 years. In Washington state, over 75 percent of farmers over 65 lack a succession plan or identified heir. At the same time, the ranks of beginning farmers have steadily declined and access to affordable land is listed as the top barrier for new and beginning farmers.

Climate Change

The diverse crops of the Pacific Northwest depend on adequate water supplies and specific temperature ranges, which are projected to change and become less predictable due to climate change.

Threatened Salmon

Pacific Northwest salmon populations are threatened by many factors – from habitat loss and pollution to climate change. Farms are part of the solution to protecting salmon habitat but could benefit from assistance and resources.

Regional Food Security

Pacific Northwest farms grow all kinds of foods to feed the region, but they need the right infrastructure to help them package and distribute the food for local populations – along with a secure, protected land base.

Building Capacity for Farmland Protection

Farmland and ranchland are under threat in the Pacific Northwest. Just in the last 15 years, acres in production decreased over 22 percent.

In order to address this threat, it is critical that we have strong farmland protection capacity across the region. That includes funding for agricultural conservation easement programs and strong organizations to carry out land protection in a way that strengthens agricultural viability into the future.

Washington, Oregon, and Idaho have strong land trust communities with proven experience in agricultural projects; however, AFT is working to ensure land trusts with adequate capacity and the expertise to implement successful projects exist in all agricultural regions of the state.  

AFT carries out this work through:

  • Training for land trusts, counties, and other land-protection entities
  • Creating and sharing templates and best practices for agricultural conservation easements
  • Working with funding agencies to ensure easement grant programs work for farmers and ranchers
  • Facilitating better coordination between federal, state, and local funding entities
  • Working with local planning entities to ensure conservation and development planning include agricultural land protection