A Profile of Snohomish County Agriculture

Agriculture has been a dominant feature of Snohomish County’s
fertile landscape since the county was founded in 1861. In recognition
of the history and importance of commercial agriculture to the county’s
quality of life and economic health, County Executive Aaron Reardon is
taking steps to raise the profile of agriculture within county government
through his Agriculture Initiative launched in 2004.

The following information is from the USDA 2002 Census
of Agriculture.

In Snohomish County:

• Agriculture is a $126.9 million industry
• Average market value of production per farm is $80,653
• There are 68,612 acres in farm lands
• Over 1,000 acres of seed crops are raised, most of
  which are for overseas markets

Snohomish County Farms:

• 1,574 farms
• 1,105 of those farms are family or individually owned
• 1,010 of those farms have sales of less than $25 thousand per year
• 597 farms are between 10 and 49 acres in size
• 226 farms are between 50 and 179 acres in size
• Average farm has $32,562 worth of machinery and equipment
• Average age of farmer is 55 years
• 26% of principal farm operators are women
• Farming is the primary occupation for 52% of farm operators

Snohomish County is Ranked:

• #1 in the state in major dairy counties in annual milk
  production per cow
• #3 in state in total pounds of all milk produced and
  number of dairy cows
• #2 in state in broiler chicken production and #5 in egg production
• #3 in state in strawberry production
  
  

Snohomish County Agriculture Industry

This list is a partial listing of agribusinesses, financial institutions, public agencies and retailers/wholesalers in Snohomish County. No intention is made to exclude others.