PORT TOWNSEND — If local farmers take advantage of distribution channels, it can make the difference between profit and loss, the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce was told Monday.
“There is a demand for fresh produce everywhere from Vancouver to Portland that provides at opportunity for local farmers,” said Laura Lewis, director of the Washington State University Extension office in Port Hadlock.
“We can sell to schools, to prisons and to markets like Whole Foods and PCC. All we need to do is open up those channels.”
Lewis, who took over the Port Hadlock-based Extension operation from Katherine Baril last year, addressed about 60 people Monday about the expanding role of the Extension service.
Recognizing Sally Robbins, who was Baril’s predecessor, Lewis said “[Robbins and Baril] have provided a wonderful tradition of strong female leadership, and I am happy to follow in their footsteps.”
Lewis said there are now about 200 farms in Jefferson County, and while they increased in number, they decreased in size.
Most of the farms are 60 acres or less.
“Farms now have a smaller footprint,” Lewis said.
“A lot of people who are coming back into agriculture are buying smaller parcels.”
Not very many farms are profitable by themselves and “need some off-farm income to make ends meet,” she said.
Lewis thinks this can change.
“We have lots of challenges,” she told the chamber.
“There is a lot of saturation because the same things are being produced by many people.
“We need to diversify our production systems but also aggregate so we have more power.”
In discussing alternative markets, Lewis raised some eyebrows when she said that Jefferson County had a potential to produce oil.
This had nothing to do with petroleum.
There is a market for medicinal and essential oils that can be produced through local crops, she said.
Lewis said that local farmers can make a lot of money by bringing their goods to the right place.
“Some of you saw the nettles that were sold at the farmers market for $6 a pound,” she said.
“You can go to a fine restaurant in Seattle and eat nettles for $20 a plate.”
Part of WSU’s function, she noted, is to help farmers navigate the regulatory minefield that faces them.
“I am not a regulation expert or specialist,” Lewis said.
“But I can talk to agencies as a neutral party about some of the regulations that may come up, and I can help farmers navigate the permitting waters.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.