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WSU Skagit County Extension outlines program shifts, forestry and research expansions
Summary
WSU Skagit County Extension reported staff and program changes and announced restored forestry programming, a traveling “Pizza for Producers” farm‑stress outreach, and an expanded plant growth facility at the WSU Northwest REC; two research hires were also described.
WSU Skagit County Extension and the WSU Northwest Research and Extension Center (NREC) gave a joint quarterly update to the county commissioners on Oct. 6 that described program changes, new hires and a construction timetable for a plant growth facility.
Dawn McMorin, director of WSU Skagit County Extension, said the local Extension office has about 20 staff but will shrink as SNAP‑Ed federal funding winds down: three SNAP‑Ed staff members’ last days are slated for December. McMorin described a suite of ongoing programs that include Master Gardeners, Small Farms and Latino outreach, and a growing emphasis on farm stress and suicide‑prevention work.
Nut graf: Extension leaders said the office will reintroduce a forestry program in 2025, expand outreach through the mobile “Pizza for Producers” oven to engage farmers on stress prevention, and pursue complementary research capacity at the WSU Northwest REC to support growers across the county and region.
McMorin described Pizza for Producers — a mobile wood‑fired oven built with help from Mount Vernon High School students — as a low‑barrier outreach tool that pairs free pizza with materials on farm stress and suicide prevention. The program has secured Washington State Department of Health funding for four outreach events next year and interest from a Midwest foundation to replicate the oven outside the state.
Tatum Weed, acting director of the WSU Northwest REC (joining the meeting remotely), said the REC has 160 acres and currently supports eight faculty research programs with two additional faculty hires joining the center. Weed announced two new positions being filled: a horticultural weed scientist to start Jan. 1, 2026, and an endowed chair in raspberry breeding being finalized with support from the Washington Red Raspberry Commission. She described collaborative research projects across berries, potatoes, entomology and soil health and highlighted student training (28 graduate students at NREC) and on‑site field trials.
Weed and McMorin also detailed the plant growth facility expansion at the Mount Vernon campus. Phase 2 work (site utilities, foundation and greenhouse installation) is going to bid; leaders said they expect to complete phases 2a and 2b by June 30 (site work and greenhouse installation) and finish the full fit‑out by mid‑2027. The center said funding for the three subphases is in place from county, matching, and private donations.
Ending: Extension leaders asked commissioners for continued local support as federal funding shifts and emphasized that research hires and the plant growth facility will bolster local agricultural resilience, workforce training and long‑term productivity for Skagit County growers.
