With passage of the Critical Areas Ordinance a few years ago, one of the requirements for small livestock owners in Whatcom County was the development of a farm plan to help mitigate impacts on streams and other environmentally sensitive areas. We are now hitting the point where enforcement is starting and numerous issues are starting to develop. It is also becoming increasingly clear a potential dilemma exists that local politicians had not clearly articulated when the regulations were passed. On one hand, we want to promote healthy watersheds, and on the other hand, we want to promote local agriculture. Ideally, both of these can be accomplished at the same time. But if regulations are not properly implemented, you run the risk of having to trade-off between the two goals. Based on initial responses, we are heading toward a very real risk of having local livestock agriculture hurt in the effort to protect streams. In order to avoid this situation, Whatcom County Planning needs to make at least five critical changes to their current processes.

First, the letters threatening $1,000-a-day fines for non-compliance need to be put back in the drawer, permanently. Although a nice letter is sent first asking the small farmer to contact the Planning Department, if the farm owner does not respond, it quickly escalates to a letter threatening high fines. This may get the farm owner's attention, but does nothing to help get the farm plan off to a smooth start. In an ideal world, a farmer would get a notice and immediately call the Planning Department to find out the next steps. But the reality is, most people receiving the letters will not catch on to what they are supposed to do or why. Maybe it is the farm owner's fault, but a couple letters, a couple phone calls, and maybe a visit first, would be a far more productive escalation than going from a nice letter to threatening $1,000-a-day fines.

Second, once a farm plan is in place it needs to be stable for 10 years. Farmers are already running into issues where they complete the farm plan, install fencing or other measures, then go to the Planning Department to get a permit for a barn or other use on their farm, only to be told they now need a bigger buffer (a real life example from a local farmer). Farmers cannot redo fencing every few years at the whim of the County Planning Department. If farmers are going to go the expense and effort to fix their farms, then County Planning needs to have the respect to stabilize the rules.

Third, for those farmers who complete a farm plan and then need help at a later date from County Planning for a permit, County Planning needs to welcome them with open arms, not push them aside. If the response from County Planning is the same whether a farmer has a farm plan or not, what is the point of having one? County Planning needs to bend over backward to help farmers who have taken the appropriate steps to protect critical areas.

Fourth, there needs to be more strategy in terms of who has to do farm plans, and in what order. There are limited resources in the county to do farm plans and not everyone can do them at the same time. It appears farm plans are required in one of three instances: either the county has deemed the area of high importance, someone turns the farmer in, or the farmer needs a permit for an additional building on the property. Everyone would be better served if all the focus was on strategically important areas and not required from people building a barn in an area that is low priority, or just because someone else turned them in. The process of determining who needs to do a farm plan now versus later appears to be arbitrary, which does not provide the program much credibility.

Fifth, Whatcom County Planning needs to better understand agricultural issues. Currently there is only one planner on staff who has ever operated a farm. It may be difficult to find former farmers who now want to do land use planning, but at the very least the Planning Department needs to have all staff visiting farms and learning about their operations, issues and economics. There are already stories emerging of County Planning staff's complete ignorance of farming. If you want to win over farmers and get them helping you, having some intelligence on the issues is a good starting point.

Based on the current implementation of the farm plans, it looks like there will be fewer sheep, pigs, cows, and chickens in Whatcom County 10 years from now. The result of this will be more meat purchased from large-scale commercial operations that do a lot more harm to the environment and are less healthy for the consumer. The goal of the farm plan program should be to increase livestock in the county so we are less reliant on commercially raised meat, while maintaining the environmental integrity of critical areas. Both can be accomplished, but not without Whatcom County Planning making some significant process changes.