A $3 million agricultural research center is coming to Whatcom County
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- Whatcom council approved $3 million for an agricultural research facility site.
- WSU will staff the center, which aims to support $1B local farming economy.
- 59-acre Boxx Berry Farm site will be a research hub focused on crop science.
Whatcom County will be getting a new agricultural research station, a working farm where scientists can study crop production and support an economic sector that brings in more than $1 billion locally.
County Council members voted unanimously Tuesday night to give the Port of Bellingham nearly $3 million to buy Boxx Berry Farm east of Ferndale for the research center. It will be operated and managed by a new nonprofit called the Whatcom County Food and Farming Station.
Washington State University will pay for a director and staff the facility, according to documents provided with the Port of Bellingham’s application for funding through the county’s Economic Development Investment Program.
Tyler Schroeder, economic development director for the Port of Bellingham, told The Herald that such a research facility has been sought for more than a decade.
“It will be a location to connect farmers that are knowledgeable about the community and the researchers who have that scientific background,” Schroeder said a phone interview.
Researchers could study raspberry resistance to drought and heat, for example, Schroeder said.
Agriculture is a $350 million industry in Whatcom County with more than 1,400 farms producing milk, red raspberries , blueberries and other crops, Schroeder told the County Council in a committee presentation Tuesday.
Food processing generates $959 million in gross sales annually and provides more than 1,700 jobs, he said.
“It’s really a backbone of the Whatcom County economy,” Schroeder told the council.
The research center will be located at the current site of Boxx Berry Farm at the southwest corner of Northwest Drive and Piper Road.
Boxx Berry Farm has operated at the site since 1960, and has been known for its fresh berries and other produce, along with attractions for children. The family is selling its fields and commercial location but retaining a homestead on Piper Road.
According to terms of the deal, the county is giving the port a $1.6 million grant and a $933,000 loan, using EDI funds that come from sales taxes and are designated for economic investments.
The port will buy 59 acres from the Boxx family for $3.3 million. The deal is expected to close in October, after the farm’s final season.
This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
