Organizations Supporting Agriculture in San Juan County

Washington State University Extension – San Juan County

WSU Extension is the public outreach and engagement service of Washington State University. San Juan County WSU Extension is home to 4-H Youth Development, Master Gardener, Noxious Weed, and Agriculture programs. These programs provide county-specific, research-based education in agriculture, pest identification and management, home horticulture, forest resource management, environmental stewardship, 4-H youth development, and food safety. The Ag Program also conducts applied on-farm research in areas of crop variety evaluation, grain production, wireworm management, and pasture improvement and answers questions by linking farmers to WSU faculty and staff with expertise in agriculture production. WSU Extension programs are funded by WSU, San Juan County, extramural grant dollars, program revenue, and donations.

Brook Brouwer, SJC Extension Director and Regional Agriculture Specialist, Assistant Professor, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Unit. Brook Brouwer, 360 370 7667

Kate Mikulak, Ag Program Coordinator, Kathryn Mikulak, 360 370 7664

WSU Extension San Juan County

San Juan Island Agricultural Guild (Ag Guild or SJIAG)

The San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild (Ag Guild) is a community-based volunteer organization dedicated to fostering a vibrant, resilient, and sustainable local food system in San Juan County.

The Ag Guild coordinates the Food Hub, Farmer to Farmland project, and Island has grown as well as running Brickworks the event space and commercial kitchen in Friday Harbor which is the year-round home to the San Juan Island Farmer’s Market. Island Grown supports members with branding, promotion, mapping, and networking food-related businesses to establish regional and local recognition for foods and farm products under the Island Grown label.

Steph Coffey, executive director, Steph Coffey, 360-378-0095 

San Juan Island Agricultural Guild

San Juan Islands Conservation District

 San Juan Islands Conservation District (SJICD) The San Juan Islands Conservation District provides free information, technical assistance, and farm planning to farmers within the County. We also run the Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP), which is an incentive-based approach for farmers to participate in a watershed-based, a collaborative planning process that protects critical areas while promoting agricultural viability.

360-378-6621 

San Juan Islands Conservation District

San Juan County Land Bank

The San Juan County Land Bank’s mandate- To preserve in perpetuity areas in the county that have environmental, agricultural, aesthetic, cultural, scientific, historic, scenic, or low-intensity recreational value and to protect existing and future sources of potable water. The Land Bank Charlie Behnke, Agriculture Program Coordinator & Field Steward charlieb@sjclandbank.org

San Juan County Land Bank

Department of Community Development (DCD)

The Department of Community Development (DCD) reviews building and land use permits. The long-range planning division of DCD helps the County Council evaluate the policies and regulations in the Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Code.

The Comprehensive Plan provides the policy framework for the County. The Plan designates agricultural land and includes specific policies relating to agriculture in the vision statement, and the land use, economic development, water resources, and housing elements. The County will evaluate designated agricultural land during the update to make sure that it is appropriately designated. The Plan aims to protect agricultural land from being converted to permanent non-farming uses. 

Sophia Cassam, Planner II, Sophia Cassam (360) 370-7589

San Juan County Community Development