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WSU Skagit Extension details new Mount Vernon facility, grant-funded pasture work and community programs
Summary
WSU Skagit County Extension told commissioners the Northwest Research and Extension Center will get major funding for a new Mount Vernon plant growth facility, described grant-funded pasture-management work and outlined outreach events that reached thousands across 2026.
WSU Skagit County Extension briefed Skagit County commissioners on April 21 about new facilities, grant-funded outreach and a steady schedule of workshops and signature events.
Dean Raj Khosla of Washington State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, joining by Zoom, thanked local sponsors for enabling a plant growth facility in Mount Vernon and described the land-grant mission that drives WSU’s county partnership. Don (WSU Skagit County Extension) told commissioners the Northwest Research and Extension Center received about three-quarters of $1,000,000 toward that facility and that he is visiting extension centers across the state to strengthen local partnerships.
The extension staff briefed the board on multiple grant programs and training events. Don listed current grants including awards from the Washington State Department of Agriculture and a USDA grant addressing suicide prevention among agricultural workers; he also described routine workshop programming (seed, potato and berry workshops and a month-long farm-safety series in May).
"We do that by co-creating solutions, working very closely with our collaborators like you," Raj said, describing the role of extension faculty, staff and students in meeting local agricultural challenges.
Kimberly Langrick, who identified herself as part of the Skagit Extension Livestock Advisor program, described a NEPSSI pasture-management grant the program secured in collaboration with the Skagit Conservation District. Langrick said the project — on its second year — was awarded $400,000, aims to reduce fecal coliform in the Samish, Padilla and South Skagit watersheds through pasture-management education and technical assistance, and supports equipment lending (soil testers, hay testers, manure spreaders and a no‑till seed drill) and bilingual materials. She highlighted a soil-testing class run at Viva Farms and the use of attendance incentives to boost turnout.
Commissioners asked for local detail during a question-and-answer period. Commissioner Browning asked whether extension tracks underutilized or fallow acreage; Don said about 2,000 acres went fallow last year and he expects that figure could rise as input costs increase. Commissioner Burns asked about drought planning and irrigation technology; Don described boom‑type and drip irrigation options and collaborations with the Department of Ecology to secure lawful irrigation access and reduce water use.
Don and extension staff also reviewed event attendance and volunteer support. Extension staff reported that the Skagit Ag Summit attracted roughly 150 participants in the recent year (about 100 registered, plus additional attendees) and that the countywide Country Living and Modern Homesteading Expo drew more than 1,200 attendees in 2026; the extension said total program attendance across the year was 2,542, bolstered by more than 100 volunteer instructors and student volunteers.
The extension closed by providing contact information for commissioners and the public to follow up on programming and funding questions; the presentation concluded with commissioners thanking WSU staff for outreach and the board adjourning to reconvene later for public comment.
