Pierce County Fresh is proud to be a part of the Eat Local First Collaborative, a group of statewide partner organizations working together to build a statewide resource dedicated to connecting consumers and farmers.

Earlier this month, the Collaborative launched the new Washington Food & Farm Finder, a comprehensive and mobile-friendly searchable database connecting Washington State residents with more than 1,700 sustainable and organic farms, farmers markets, and food businesses around the state representing 37 counties.  

with ideas on holiday meal planning and gift ideas, what’s in season and more. There’s even a

Collaborative members include The Local Food Trust, Pierce County Fresh, Sustainable Connections, Tilth Alliance, Washington State University Food Systems, and Washington State University Regional Small Farms Program with anticipated future participation from partners across the state including Genuine Skagit Valley, Gorge Grown Network, Island Grown in the San Juans, the Methow Conservancy, and Walla Walla Grown.

Funding for the Washington Food & Farm Finder was made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agriculture Marketing Service through grant AM170100XXXXG123. Additional support was made possible from The Whatcom Community Foundation and Washington State Department of Agriculture Regional Markets Program.

Washington State’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a voluntary program designed to benefit farms and fish by incentivizing streamside habitat restoration. CREP pays farmers and other landowners to grow a different crop in streamside areas of their property – that crop is salmon habitat. This joint program is administered at the federal-level by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), at the state-level by the State Conservation Commission (SCC), and at the local level by conservation districts.

After Planting

Farmers voluntarily enroll in the program to plant native trees and shrubs to create a “buffer zone” between their crop fields or pasture adjacent to CREP eligible streams. Livestock are excluded from the buffer along the stream and this zone of native vegetation 

keeps the water cool and clean for salmon. The enrollment of the land as a buffer is 
preserved under 10 or 15-year renewable contracts.

Second Fall

Landowners are assisted by a conservation district CREP technician to design a buffer vegetation plan and get the plants installed. Project costs are paid by the program and farmers receive annual rental payments for the land they enroll. Project oversight and buffer maintenance is provided for 5 years after planting to ensure that the trees and shrubs grow healthy and strong. 
If you have unused land choked with blackberry and bordering a stream, you may be interested in learning how the Washington State CREP could benefit you, your farm, and salmon. It is a win-win situation for Washington farms and fish.  

Ninth Fall

Contact Paul Borne at paulb@piercede.org and 253-845-9770 x 105 for more information. 

Are you interested in learning more about CREP and how to enroll? Then join PCD on Monday, December 14^th for a webinar from 6:30 – 8:00 PM. Click Here to RSVP.