Stand up for local farms.

Here’s something I think you will want to know about.

There’s a proposed ordinance revision for Jefferson County that could negatively impact farms by restricting usage of farmland.

Farms, like ours, that grow your food 🧑‍🌾🍽️.

You can help by making a statement during the public comment period and/or attending the public meeting (more details below).

We’re just trying to get the word out to like-minded people who care about farms and access to local food.

The concern - Jefferson County Critical Areas Ordinance update 18.22.800

👀 If your eyes glazed over just reading the title, I get it.

Mine did at first, too, until I realized how this could affect our ability to raise food for you.

Eek 😲!

🚜 I know you want to feed yourself and your family local food raised by farmers you know and trust.

So I waded through the documents to give you the abridged version of what’s going on - and what you can do about it.

That's all included at the very bottom of this email, but here's the upshot.

🌎 As regenerative farmers, we know that farming and habitat are not mutually exclusive.

You know that, too. It’s one of the many reasons you’re here with us.

There are "critical areas" on land we farm, but we don’t destroy.

Rather, we promote and create wildlife habitat 🐛🦋🕷️🐦 🐞🐝🦅🐇🐸 with our ecological farming practices.

This ordinance threatens to affect our operations and those of other local farms.

If you’re concerned about:

✅ Local food security

✅ Promoting local farms as an alternative to factory farms and mono-crop ag

✅ Supporting small family farms raising clean food you can trust

✅ Knowing your farmer

Then you need to know about this threat to farming in our community.

____________________________________

Regarding Jefferson County Critical Areas Ordinance update 18.22.800

I waded through the legalese and made my best shot at making the issue clear and concise.

Here goes (I promise, the actual documents are waaaayyyyy longer than this 😂) :

Jefferson County has an ordinance that controls (mostly by restricting) usage of and around “Critical Areas and their associated buffers” (including wetlands and frequently flooded areas).

Much of the farmland in Jefferson County falls within one of these categories - including most of the land we raise your food on.

Section 3(a) of the document includes an exemption for agricultural activities, and this is the section that concerns your food.

👉 With this current review, the planning commission is proposing wording that is more restrictive of use – plus it is vague, subjective and open to interpretation.

Here’s the proposed wording with the items of concern underlined:

18.22.230: Exemptions from all types of critical area requirements.

(3) The following activities in a critical area or its associated buffer are exempt when in compliance with all of the requirements in this section, including those additional requirements in this subsection:

(a) Agricultural activities. Existing and on-going agricultural activities, as defined in JCC 18.10.010, are exempt and may continue in substantially the same manner; provided, the agricultural activity does not result in adverse impacts to a critical area or its associated buffer. This exemption shall include maintenance and repair of lawfully established structures, infrastructure, drainage and irrigation ditches, and farm ponds; provided, maintenance work does not expand further into a critical area.

➡️ ⚠️First point: This is more restrictive language because, in the previous edition, it just said “agricultural activities” were exempt.

It makes me shudder that they want to restrict the exemption to “existing and on-going” agricultural activities.

Who gets to decide what “existing and on-going” means?

To me, this reads as “use it or lose it” – and because I care about access to local food, that is scary.

As farmers age out, there’s plenty of land changing hands in this county.

When a new farmer takes over, is that existing and ongoing?

What about new farmers just starting up?

What if I temporarily stop using a piece of land (lots of good reasons to do that) for a few years?

If someone interprets any of those situations to not qualify as “existing and ongoing”, it appears to be a substantial risk that land will be taken out of agriculture forever.

We need more local farms, not fewer.

➡️ ⚠️Second point: The term “adverse impact” is also subjective and open to interpretation.

What is an adverse impact?

Is it my cow grazing the grass?

That mown grass will now grow again and sequester more carbon and build more soil than it would have if left standing rank.

I call that a positive impact.

But it was pretty adverse for that blade of grass.

So, who gets to decide?

I'd love to think it's going to be someone who values local food, but we can't depend on that.

If you'd like to dive into the details yourself, you can find the documents on the county website here: https://www.co.jefferson.wa.us...

🎯 Action step: You have the chance to submit written testimony before 12/17 regarding the changes. Submit statements to:

AGENCY CONTACT: Greg Ballard, Development Code Administrator, SEPA Responsible Official, gballard@co.jefferson.wa.us, or (360) 379-4450

We've included below a draft of the letter we’re submitting - feel free to copy parts or take inspiration.

🎯 Action step: There’s a public hearing on 12/17/25 you can attend virtually or in person.
5:30 p.m. in the WSU Extension Classroom at 97 Oak Bay Rd, Port Hadlock

_______________________________________________

Draft letter from One Straw Ranch

To: Jefferson County Department of Community Development
Re: Jefferson County Critical Areas Ordinance update 18.22.800

As a full-time farm business with over a decade of experience farming in Jefferson County, we are concerned about both the proposed changes and the existing language in the Agriculture Exemption, Section 3a.

Foremost, the addition of “Existing and on-going” to “agricultural activities” is a change that should be eliminated.

This wording is significantly more restrictive and has potential to further reduce the amount of land that is farmable in Jefferson County. The wording is also vague, undefined, and open to interpretation.

This wording could be interpreted as “use it or lose it,” and also appears to prohibit new farms from farming these areas, even if another farm has been using it for decades.

We need more farms to feed our local community, not fewer. Therefore, we should be finding ways to support all farms, including new farms - not looking for ways to edge them off of productive land.

“Adverse impacts” is also a statement that is vague and subject to interpretation. Just because there is an impact, it does not necessarily mean it is adverse. Who will be making that judgement, and from what lens?

As regenerative farmers, we know that farming, habitat and care of critical areas are not mutually exclusive.

In fact, they’re fully compatible and mutually beneficial.

There are "critical areas" on land we farm, but we don’t destroy. Rather, we promote and create wildlife habitat with our ecological farming practices. And we know that the productivity of our farm benefits from proximity to these areas.

This community says it wants to support and promote local food. In fact, we frequently hear that one of our collective main priorities is local food security.

As firsthand experience of this fact, we have a thriving and highly supportive customer base who demand clean, healthy, local food.

Local food security means local farmers being allowed to farm their land.

This ordinance, as written in the draft, threatens to affect our operations and those of other local farms who feed our community.

Please remove the proposed additional language of “Existing and ongoing.”

We also request you remove the sentence, “provided, the agricultural activity does not result in adverse impacts to a critical area or its associated buffer.”

Let’s help secure the future of farms and local food in Jefferson County.

Sincerely,

Charlotte & Martin Frederickson
One Straw Ranch
Chimacum, WA