The Dirt

The Dirt is intended to educate, inform, and WOW people about farming in the Skagit Valley.  It is a modest, monthly message designed to give you a behind-the-scenes, fascinating, who-woulda-thought look at Skagit agriculture.

Let us know what you think, pass it on to a friend, or email us with topic ideas.

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May 31st, 2016

The Dirt Issue 5 – Agriculture Meets Tourism

The search for somewhere natural and serene is one of the most popular getaways in the 21st century.  These days, that quest is increasingly being met through “Agri-tourism”– a conjoined term that loosely stands for the intersection between agriculture and … Continue reading →

April 28th, 2016

The Dirt Issue 4 – Agriculture is “Growing” at the Port

For more than two decades, the Skagit agricultural community has been calling for an Agricultural Industrial Park to be established.  Twenty-six years on, that goal has been realized in very exciting ways at the Port of Skagit. The concept of … Continue reading →

March 23rd, 2016

The Dirt Issue 3 – What is Pinning?

Twice each year, a highly unusual “sharing of the soils” takes place at the WSU-NW Research & Extension Center here in Mount Vernon. The event is called a “pinning” and the participants are representatives of seed companies looking to secure … Continue reading →

February 22nd, 2016

The Dirt Issue 2 – All About Climate

We all know the Skagit is special. One of the biggest reasons for that is our climate, forged as it is, from a happy confluence of topography, latitude and the over-arching influence of the Pacific Ocean and its prevailing westerly … Continue reading →

January 27th, 2016

The Dirt Issue I – Introducing the DIRT

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Magic Skagit.” It can mean various things, but without question, one of the biggest magic-making factors around here is the soils of the Skagit Valley. Back in 1940, a seven-year long survey of the then … Continue reading →