Thurston County’s Community Agriculture Program celebrates the region’s rich agricultural history and promising future by:

• Protecting farmland and supporting farmers through innovative policy and code updates
• Helping farmers navigate county permit processes and access land conservation programs
• Helping farmers maintain productive farms, while protecting the environment
• Working alongside our regional partners to support a healthy and viable agricultural economy

Program Elements

• ACTIVE NOW - Agriculture Zoning Update - Update Long-Term zoning protections for Agriculture of Commercial Significance (Docket Item CPA-16). 
• Agricultural Activities in Critical Areas – Develop a conservation planning approach for new agricultural uses (Docket Item A-18).
• Farm Open Space and Transfer of Development Rights Program Updates – Update Thurston County’s land conservation incentive programs.
• Voluntary Stewardship Program - A program that balances the protection and enhancement of critical areas with maintaining and improving the long-term viability of agriculture.
• Agricultural Land Conservation Incentive Programs – A collection of programs that incentivize landowners to keep their property in agricultural use.

Documents

• Results of the Agriculture Survey Results

Public Participation

• Subscribe to the agriculture email list for occassional updates on policy & programs.
• Submit a comment on the Community Agriculture Program.
• Take the Livestock Processing Study - A regional assessment of meat production and processing capacity.
• Attend a community meeting. See list on the Agriculture Zoning Update page.
• Come to an Agriculture Advisory Committee Meeting – This group of 11 volunteers meets once a month and advises the Board and Planning Commission on public decisions and/or emerging issues that would significantly affect agriculture. 

Community Agricultural Resources

• WSU Extension 
• Thurston Conservation District 
• Natural Resources Conservation Service 

Contact us  
Community Agriculture Program Manager Ashley.Arai@co.thurston.wa.us can help answer specific questions about your farm.