Washington Farmland Trust looks for farm buyers who are committed to agriculture
Two farms, Ford Farm near Orting and Delta Farm near Sequim are for sale. Virtual Information session scheduled Wednesday for question-and-answer session.
The Washington Farmland Trust is putting two farms up for sale and is requiring both properties to remain in agriculture production.
The Ford Farm, which is a 31-acre property near Orting, went on the market in March and is listed at $1,070,000. The Delta Farm, comprising 73 acres in the Dungeness Valley located north of Sequim, went on the market April 15 and is listed at $1,465,000.
The current listings mark the first time the Washington Farmland Trust attempted to sell either farm.
In both cases, the Washington Farmland Trust was approached by either a tenant or the landowner to purchase both farms to protect them from being developed, said Megan Jenny, Associate Director for the Washington Farmland Trust. Ford Farm was acquired in 2017 and Delta Farm in 2000. Delta Farm was the first farm the Washington Farmland Trust protected.
Ford Farm has been out of production for the last three seasons, Jenny said. Although no farming is happening at Delta Farm, the property has a 25-year history of vegetable and grain production on 64 acres and livestock production on five acres, according to information from the Washington Farmland Trust.
Conservation easements are placed on both farms ensuring each will remain in agriculture production. The easements limit future residential development and subdivision.
Each farm also has water rights. Ford Farm has a water right certificate permitting irrigation up to 250 gallons per minute for a total of 76-acre feet per year from May 1 through October 1. Delta Farm has a water rights claim for irrigation and a permitted exempt well associated with the farmhouse and barns, according to information from the Washington Farmland Trust. Jenny said future owners can work with the state Department of Ecology to discuss their water rights and make changes to their allocations.
The Washington Farmland Trust has landing pages set up providing more information for each farm. The Ford Farm landing page is here, and the Delta Farm landing page can be found here.
Washington Farmland Trust officials will review offers starting Aug. 17 to give interested parties time to make their offer and build their financing plans, Jenny said.
The Washington Farmland Trust has scheduled a virtual information session to answer questions and provide attendees a chance to learn more about the properties, easements and the sale process. Spanish interpretation will be available during the question-and-answer session.
The session goes from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 22. Click here to register.
