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Snohomish reports 36,000 acres underwater; farmers seek tailored recovery and conservation funding
Summary
Snohomish County officials and agriculture leaders told the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee that tens of thousands of acres flooded in December 2025, small and specialty farms suffered major losses USDA programs often don't cover, and witnesses urged funding the State Conservation Commission's disaster program and a tailored ag damage-assessment tool.
Snohomish County emergency management director Lucia Schmidt told the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee on Feb. 12 that at peak flood levels in December 36,000 acres (about 56 square miles) in the county were underwater, and that farmland often served as a natural buffer for communities.
"At peak flood levels in December, 36,000 acres of Snohomish County were underwater," Schmidt said, showing maps that overlaid agricultural parcels on floodplain imagery and describing damage to vehicles, equipment, fences, hoop houses, feed and overwintering crops.
Schmidt said a county survey of 45 agricultural businesses estimated a combined…
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