Do local farms matter? Some of the farm-fresh products found in Seattle-area stores and farmers markets are grown on Snohomish County family farms or made from regionally-grown ingredients. But farming at the local level is a threatened industry, as development fast encroaches.

The Agriculture Sustainability Project is a community-based initiative underway in Snohomish County to learn what people know and care about in terms of local farms.

Where: Snohomish County Campus, 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett, East Administration Building (corner of Pacific and Oakes), Meeting room #2, main floor.

When: Thursday, March 20, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Free food and beverage provided (pizza!).

The project grew from a collaboration of farmers, agriculture agencies, advocates and government working together to preserve Snohomish County’s rapidly changing agriculture industry. This meeting is part of a County-wide series of public meetings in which participants will be asked to help create priorities and a long-term vision for agriculture in Snohomish County. What’s most important? Do people care about buying local food, plants or products? About open space and the landscape? If flood plains are protected? What about outdoor recreation? And... how many farms do we need?

Representatives from the Snohomish County Agricultural Sustainability Project Team will be on-hand to answer questions about the project and facilitate discussion. While a Snohomish County project, our farms are important to our entire region: bees and rain and sun don’t recognize County boundaries.

For more information, please feel free to contact Linda Neunzig, Snohomish County Agriculture Project Coordinator, 425-388-7170 or Linda.neunzig@snoco.org, or visit www.snoco.org and search “Focus on Farming.”

Two more meetings are planned: Tuesday, March 25 in Arlington, and Thursday, March 27 in Snohomish.