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Snohomish County Agriculture Coordinator John Roney called the conference to order at 8am on Thursday, November 18, 2004, in the 4-H Building at the county fairgrounds in Monroe. In all, about 350 farmers, county staff, and representatives from various Ag-related organizations attended the conference.
Conference Agenda and Program
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Expert presenters shared both hard facts and hopeful news about the “Obstacles and Opportunities Facing Snohomish County Agriculture.” They left no doubt that local agriculture is “an industry in transition.”
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Craig Ladiser, Snohomish County’s Director of Planning & Development Services, talked frankly about some of the tough choices local government faces in its role as both a regulator and facilitator of development in the county.
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Keynote Speaker Dr. John Ikerd, an agricultural economist from the University of Missouri, gave a stirring keynote speech in which he proclaimed “Sustainability depends on an abiding respect for both the needs of the land and the needs of people – economic, social, and ethical.”
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Participants had their say on all the key issues during group discussions between presentations. Comments were recorded and individual group results were reported back to the entire assembly at the end of the day. See Highlights of What We Heard for a summary of participants’ comments. |
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A key benefit of the conference was the opportunity provided for farmers
to hear each other’s views on important issues. |
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Discussion groups opened with a panel of farmers posing questions and setting the stage for group discussion and debate.
See Breakout Session Topics and Panels. |
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Discussion groups were lead, and comments recorded, by skilled facilitators. Here, Dr. Carolyn Henri, one of the conference’s key presenters, captures comments during a group discussion facilitated by Mary Embleton, Executive Director of the Cascade Harvest Coalition. |
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Attendees worked up an appetite during the morning’s lively group sessions, but no one went hungry thanks to the efforts of Linda Neunzig and her team. Linda, Nancy Lindaas, Mina Williams, Debbi Alskog and helpers served up a bountiful buffet consisting almost entirely of local farm products.
Food service for the conference was graciously sponsored by the Farm Bureau. See Menu and Acknowledgements for a complete description of the fabulous food and generous people who provided it. |
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Heather Foster, a very active member of 4-H and President of Lucky Beef-N-Us 4-H club, spoke about both the challenges and rewards of farming in Snohomish County today. She echoed a message that sounded frequently throughout the conference: farming is a treasured way of life, not just a business. See Heather Foster’s Speech for the full text of her inspiring presentation. |
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The Overman Family orchestra treated attendees to a lunchtime performance of impeccably played chamber music. |
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County Executive Aaron Reardon was all ears during the conference, but when lunch was served, his attention shifted to his stomach just like everyone else. |
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County Council member John Koster, a former dairyman, talked shop with participants as well as politics. Mr. Koster co-sponsored the conference with Executive Reardon. |
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Tireless farmer Jackie Macomber (lower right), Chair of the Snohomish County Agriculture Advisory Board and member of the conference organizing committee, is also a 4-H advisor. Jackie made sure that farm youth were represented at the conference. The challenge of keeping young people involved in farming is one of the major issues facing local agriculture. |