Another 154 acres of Skagit County farmland protected from development

The Skagit County Board of Commissioners approved Monday the protection of another 154 acres of agricultural land through the county's Farmland Legacy Program.

This brings the total amount of farmland protected in the county to about 15,550 acres since the program was established in 1997.

The Farmland Legacy Program will pay a total of $335,000 to the three property owners of the 154 acres in exchange for placing perpetual conservation easements on their farmland.

Farmland Legacy Agricultural Land Coordinator Sarah Stoner said this latest addition of land is especially exciting because two eastern Skagit County properties are being protected, which is uncommon in the program.

The largest property to be protected, about 69 acres east of Hamilton, is owned by fourth-generation Skagitonians Randy Good and Aileen Good, who will receive $135,000 for the easement.

The property has been owned by Aileen Good's family since 1940, which predates construction of Highway 20 - the road that bisects the property.

Randy Good said the property was added to the program now because it felt like the right time, considering his age.

Randy Good helped develop the Farmland Legacy Program in the 1990s. He said he attributes the program's success to county residents' support of agriculture.

"The original intent of the program was to preserve farmland in perpetuity," Randy Good said. "And to make sure it stays as farmland, and it isn't sold to some overzealous conservationists or for recreational uses."

Stoner said those who established the program did incredible work with foresight, anticipating any issues or questions the program's board may face in the future.

Their planning helped create the framework that still guides the program today.

Currently, the Goods lease about 30 acres of their land to John Mower and Kim Mower, whose property is adjacent to the Goods' land.

The Mowers also placed an easement on their property, protecting about 44 acres. They will receive $105,000 for the easement.

The Mowers purchased the property in 1977 and took over the previous owner's dairy farm. It remained a dairy farm until 2020, when they convert the property into a cattle ranch.

The ranch is called Grasslake Farm because by maintaining grass on the soil the property looks like a lake of grass.

Kim Mower also said the property supports the local ecosystem and wildlife, including about 70 birds she has tracked using a bird identification app.

"It's very, very valuable farmland," Kim Mower said. "There just keeps getting fewer and fewer acres available for any kind of commercial agriculture, so to keep the agricultural acres viable for future agricultural use, we felt it was important."

In western Skagit County, about 41 acres south of Edison that are owned by Montana resident Catherine H. Cahill have been protected. Cahill will receive $95,000 for the easement.

Cahill, a fourth-generation Skagitonian, received the land after her brother's death in 2019, and it is currently being leased to Knutzen Farms, which grows potatoes.

While Cahill has lived in Montana since 2005, she said she wants the county's farmland to stay agricultural. She said she learned about the program from a 2024 Skagit Valley Herald article and began the process of agreeing to an easement soon after.

When she learned the easement had been placed on the land on Monday, she said she breathed a sigh of relief.

"That makes my heart sing that it will never, ever be developed, and that it will just stay as a piece of farmland and be available to grow food to feed people," she said. "It was just the right thing to do."

The Farmland Legacy Program has about $1.2 million remaining this year to purchase conservation easements.

Those interested in joining the program or learning more can visit skagitcounty.net/Departments/NRFarmLegacy.

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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 5:58 PM.