SKAGIT COUNTY — A push to curb Skagit County’s agricultural tourism has many in the area outraged over a proposal that could impact everything from local wedding venues to the Skagit County Tulip Festival.
Skagit County farmers are at odds over the region’s agriculture tourism. The contentious debate was sparked by the local agriculture board after members proposed cracking down on land owners hosting events and running U-pick operations and farm stands.
Jessie Anderson and her husband turned their Mount Vernon family farm into an event space 11 years ago. She estimates that today, Maplehurst Farm hosts roughly 50 weddings, memorials, and celebrations a year. Anderson is worried that these proposed changes could force her business to shutter.
“Unfortunately, we would probably have to look for work outside Skagit County,” said Anderson. “My husband and I were born and raised here, we’re from generational family farms -- our heart is here.”
Anderson is confused by the push to curb her business and other local farm operations. She says the county spent $100,000 taxpayer dollars on a study to see how people feel about agri-tourism, which found that the vast majority of people support it.
“What happened to those years of study?” asked Anderson.
Jessie also believes that if passed, the proposal could be dire ripple effects on beloved traditions like the Skagit County Tulip Festival and the La Conner Daffodil Festival.
Skagit County’s three commissioners have the final say on the decision. Commissioner Peter Browning spoke to KIRO 7 on Thursday.
“We are all committed to farming being a very essential part of this community,” said Browning.
The District 2 leader says his plan is to roll back some of the suggestions made by the agriculture board. It’s his opinion that the initial proposal was too extreme.
“Its pretty Draconian,” said Browning. “It really is an absolute and it’ll be somewhere in the middle.