<< Previous   of   Next >> For the Enterprise/KEVIN NORTZ  (click to enlarge) Centerplate senior chef Charles Ober, center, plates a 'Emmer Farro' with local mushrooms that was served at the Focus on Farming conference held at the Lynnwood Convention Center on Thursday. All the meals served at the conference were prepared by local chefs using local ingredients. (click to enlarge) Kevin Nortz / The Herald A lunch plate served at the Focus on Farming conference on Thursday consisted of glazed baby carrots, emmer farro with local mushrooms, and a braised beef and white bean cassoulet. All the food was created by local chefs with local ingredients. ***Photo Made 112008

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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Harvesting farms' future

• A conference in Lynnwood helps those in the agriculture industry appeal to local buyers

By Sarah Jackson
For the Enterprise

Farming is changing in Snohomish County.

That was one of many messages at "Focus on Farming V: Breaking New Ground," Snohomish County's regional agriculture conference held Thursday, Nov. 20, at the Lynnwood Convention Center.

Speakers from all corners of the agricultural world talked about innovations and new approaches to the ancient arts of growing produce and raising livestock.

Why grow strawberries in the ground when you can use a more handy hydroponic stacking system? Why make ordinary apple juice, when you can craft a competitive sparkling natural juice? Why raise grain-fed beef when you can get more money for grass-fed steak?

More than 500 people, including government leaders, curious residents and farmers from throughout Western Washington, found answers to those questions and more at the event.

While many seasoned farmers made a showing, as they have in past years, newcomers to farming and landscaping seemed to be out in force.

"I'm here to learn and to network and to see what's out there," said Jessica Hawk of north Everett, whose business, Practice Alternatives, focuses on urban gardening. "I'm changing my business from traditional 'beautify' landscaping to sustainable, edible, medicinal paradise gardens."

Louise Yarmuth, who owns 80 acres in Darrington, attended the conference with three business partners who are building a goat dairy on her property.

Right now they're building the barn. Next they'll buy the goats. In the spring, they hope to have six kinds of gourmet artisan goat cheese available for purchase.

Yarmuth, who has run Seattle Auction House for the past six years, is thrilled about her dramatic career change. She can't wait to make cheese for restaurants and retail sale.

"More and more people are interested in local food," Yarmuth said.

Jeff McClelland of Darrington, one of the dairy partners, was brimming with excitement during the conference, which featured numerous local cheeses but only one from Snohomish County.

"It's just a lot of fun," he said of the dairy to be, which will be open for public tours. "It's going on an incredible piece of property."

Longtime farmers made waves at the conference, too.

Eiko Vojkovich, who runs Skagit River Ranch in Sedro-Woolley, spoke with keynote speaker Bob Gore, acting director of the Washington state Department of Agriculture.

She asked him why organic producers such as Skagit River Ranch had to pay so many fees just to stay certified and in business without financial help from state government.

"We have to come up with about five grand a year," Vojkovich said later. "We should get paid to be organic farmers. We are the good stewards. We are preserving the land."

Breakout sessions took up most of the day at the conference, including one by the Northwest Ag Business Center, which is helping market a new product, Skagit Fresh Natural Sparkling Juice Beverages.

It's apple juice from three Skagit Valley growers enhanced with berry concentrates to produce four soda flavors: Ramblin' Raspberry, Sassy Strawberry, Big Bad Blackberry and Bodacious Blueberry.

After five years of research and development, the product is just now hitting local stores.

"Change was forced on us. Change costs money, " said Alan Merritt, one of the apple farmers involved in the project, inspired by plummeting juice apple prices caused by Asian imports. "We wanted to capitalize on a product that was place based."

Attendees were treated to an elaborate lunch made almost entirely of locally grown food made by local chefs.

Linda Neunzig, the county's agriculture project coordinator, provided grass-fed beef from her Arlington farm. It, along with beef from beef from Macomber Farms of Granite Falls, was featured in a braised beef and white bean cassoulet served with glazed baby carrots and farro, a trendy grain in culinary circles.

"I think of breaking new ground as trying something new and innovative," Neunzig said, adding that she hopes some farmers will consider growing emmer wheat, called farro in Italian. "Doing a new crop would be breaking new ground."



Sarah Jackson writes for The Herald of Everett.