SKAGIT COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Skagit County just locked in more farmland forever.

In 2025, the County’s Farmland Legacy Program permanently protected 270 acres of prime farmland in Bow and Mount Vernon, land that can now never be turned into housing.

The move brings the program’s total to 15,400 acres preserved for agriculture of regional and global importance.

Through conservation easements, farm families keep ownership and continue farming, while the County pays them for giving up development rights.

This year, four multi‑generation families received $585,000.

County leaders say protecting farmland now is critical as Washington continues to lose agricultural land to development.