The program today brought to us by Paul Grey was Henry Bierlink, administrator of the Ag Water Board, among other jobs.
Mr. Bierlink began with an overall view of the state of agriculture in the county, ranging from who the players are – dairy and berry industries predominate. The dairy side accounts for about 50% of the ag economy and the berries picking up around 30%. Dairies numbered about 3,000 in 1950, now the count is fewer than 100. Whatcom County accounts for about 80% of the nation’s frozen berry production. That’s a pretty hefty percentage.
Henry stated that the remainder of the ag economy in the county consists of seed potato production, some organic food growing, some wine making as well as nursery stock. There is some vertical integration, grape or berry growing leading to wine making and orchards producing cider.
He emphasized that the agricultural economy is family-centric, ranging from Dutch dairy farmers to Punjabi berry growers and of course Hispanic ag workers.
So how are they doing? The keys to profit are land / water / labor and each has its challenges. On the subject of land, the county needs about 100,000 acres in production to make a vital contribution to the economy. The cost of land is increasing due to pressure from BC. The question is how to keep the cost of production low enough to support the land cost. It is relatively easy to sell farm land for housing (assuming proper zoning).
The big problem with water is who gets access. The water rights generally follow who staked the claim earliest. For much of the year, water is not a problem for farmers. But in the summer, irrigation is often required. This is when stream flow is low and the fish need all the help they can get. So interested groups are now considering the water question in larger scale, watershed improvement districts of which there are six in the county. The idea is to collaborate and compromise, keeping the issue out of the courts where it could be tied up for years as the situation worsens.
Mr. Bierlink put it succinctly, who does the farmer hire a lawyer or a realtor? We need solutions that will keep urban sprawl in check, provide a natural resource marketplace and ensure wise water policy.
His talk was filled with figures, too many to count or relate. So, this reporter is just relating the bare bones of the presentation.
