Who’s farming in Whatcom? Interactive charts show shifts in the agricultural community
A whole lot of farming goes on in Whatcom County — our farms make up 4 percent of Washington’s agricultural sales, according to the state’s Employment Security Department.
While a drive through the county will give you a good look at fields of berries and cows, there’s a lot about the local agricultural scene that can’t be seen out the window of a car.
The Bellingham Herald dug into the U.S. Census of Agriculture data to give you a sense of the state of agriculture in Whatcom and how it has changed over the years. The census is taken every five years, with the next one coming up this year.
“It is the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the United States,” reads Washington State University’s website. “This information is used by everyone who provides services to farmers and rural communities — including federal, state and local governments, agribusinesses, and many others.”
The number of farms in Whatcom has fluctuated over the years. There were more farms counted in 2017 than in any census over the previous three decades.
As of 2017, most of these farms were smaller than 50 acres. There are outliers — a dozen farms in the county are over 1,000 acres. There are 102,523 acres of farmland in Whatcom, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture.
The demographics of Whatcom farmers are shifting.
As the county becomes more diverse in race and ethnicity, so too is the agricultural community.
This story was originally published May 24, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
