Farmers, WSDA and dairy leaders describe crop losses, supply‑chain strains and mental‑health needs after December floods
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Summary
County emergency managers, WSDA and the Washington State Dairy Federation told the committee that farms—especially small and specialty operations—suffered equipment and crop losses, lost hay and feed, and face challenges accessing USDA programs; witnesses called for state recovery funding, flexible programs and mental‑health supports.
Speakers told the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Feb. 12 that agriculture bore a disproportionate share of the December 2025 floodwaters and that many small and specialty producers face unique recovery hurdles not well covered by federal programs.
Lucia Schmidt, director of the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management, said at peak flood levels "36,000 acres of Snohomish County were underwater," about 56 square miles. She described submerged equipment and infrastructure, ruined hay and feed, and lengthy cleanup: "A single neighboring farm lost almost 700 bales of hay in this 1 event." Schmidt said 45 agricultural businesses that completed the county’s flood impact survey estimated a combined profit loss of $7,800,000 and warned USDA disaster supports are designed for Midwest commodity farms and often do not cover losses such as hoop houses or specialty nursery stock.
Kelly MacLean, assistant director and policy advisor at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, described WSDA’s emergency role as lead for Emergency Support Function 11 (food, feed and animal health). She said the EPL feed mill in Whatcom County was "offline for a week," and the agency helped coordinate feed movement from Oregon and Canada and worked with Customs and Border Protection to ease cross‑border movement in places where roads were passable. MacLean said WSDA had distributed USDA‑approved disaster household food through TFAP, reporting 2,935 cases to 988 households in Skagit County as of Jan. 16, and is working with conservation districts to connect farmers to relief programs and ag mental‑health supports funded by the Legislature.
Jay Gordon, policy director for the Washington State Dairy Federation and a multi‑generation farmer, described logistical challenges for dairies (milking requirements and limited relocation options) and traced historical flood cycles in the Chehalis Basin. He credited improved river gauges and community preparedness for preventing animal losses this event, contrasting zero reported animal losses this time with prior events where large numbers of animals died. Gordon also highlighted gaps in assistance for farm employees and non‑commodity crops and pointed to local basin collaboratives and floodplain‑management projects as effective mitigation.
Witnesses recommended several legislative responses: restore or fund the State Conservation Commission disaster assistance account, support a state agricultural disaster assessment tool to better count specialty crops and small farms, and sustain ag mental‑health resources. WSDA said it will deliver a stakeholder‑vetted report with recommendations in July.
Ending note: Committee members asked for follow‑up materials on insurance availability and small‑farm access to disaster programs, and agencies committed to written reports and recommendations.
