Rewards and Challenges of Local Sourcing
Since opening in 2015, Farmstrong Brewing Company in Mount Vernon has kept its approach to beer-making simple and direct as reflected in its motto: Grown Here, Malted Here, Brewed Here. Such a statement celebrates Skagit’s agricultural community and commits the brewery to the local economy. However straightforward that may seem, fulfilling it can be challenging.
Linking local farmers with other local businesses shows what is worthwhile — and occasionally challenging — to developing and maintaining connections here.
“Besides making great beer,” said Dan Cameron, co-owner of Farmstrong Brewing, “we want to support local agriculture in the farming community. That was important to us; hence the name Farmstrong.”
Cameron is the third generation in his family to grow up in Skagit Valley and before that his relatives lived in the Kent Valley. He does not want to see the disappearance of farmland that happened there happen in Skagit. “This agriculture in this valley is not a given,” said Cameron.
This perspective guides Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland (SPF), too.
Dave Hedlin
Dave Hedlin, a Skagit farmer and founding board member of SPF, knows the so-called Magic Skagit is special not only because of its tremendous soils and maritime climate that allow farmers to grow more than 80 commercial crops, but also because of the people who live here and the relationships built carefully over time.
The Skagit Valley, though, faces development pressures. To withstand those pressures and thrive in agriculture, according to Hedlin, “We need to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace.”
Over the last 15 years, grains have promised one way to do just that.
Grain has long been an important rotation crop for Skagit farmers, but it seldom repaid production costs. “I used to say we grow grain for fun and occasional profit,” joked Hedlin.
Finding a way to make it pay has offered new business opportunities. The Port of Skagit has been an active partner for value-added agricultural products, including developing malting and milling facilities. These facilities have created opportunities for Skagit farmers to differentiate themselves in the market as Hedlin mentioned.
Value-added agriculture gives farmers a better price for their products than the commodity market can and helps keep more money circulating in the local economy. This helps farmers offset their typical position as price takers.
“With value-added, we can make the case and we can get prices that reflect the true value and that are more advantageous to the growers,” said John Sternlicht, the CEO of the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County (EDASC). One of EDASC’s priorities is to “till the soil, if you will, so it’s fertile” and businesses can grow here, said Sternlicht.
Farmstrong Brewing is just that sort of business.
Amber waves of grain
A local malting facility that opened about a dozen years ago made it easier for Farmstrong, other regional breweries, and farmers to nurture relationships.
Field of grain
“It was fun,” said Hedlin. “Customers were coming in. You were tasting beers. You were tasting whiskeys.” These customers toured farms and understood the product farmers were growing. And in the end, said Hedlin, “It meant more money in our pocket.”
Locally grown barley cost a bit more for brewers, about 10% to 15% more according to Farmstrong Brewing’s general manager Steve DeMaria. But supporting local farmers is central to the business and worth it. “We’re trying to stay local,” said DeMaria, “and that costs a little extra.”
Farmstrong’s customers are knowledgeable and loyal to local agriculture. But the extra cost is not always front of mind and people might wonder why the beer costs so much, said DeMaria. “It takes a big effort on the local businesses in general to decide they want to buy local. That happens, then it makes a little more profit for the local producer and that kind of snowballs.”
The more businesses that commit to this, the deeper the understanding will be and the stronger the local economy becomes.
In 2023, the local malting facility closed. It filled an important economic niche, according to Sternlicht, because it was connected to so many other local businesses, so its closure caused cascading effects.
Farmstrong lost its supplier with just a few days’ notice, leaving their business with a challenge to meet. Hedlin had to sell most of his barley crop for half of what he had contracted. Losing this local source made people scramble.
Barley seeds
Eventually, Farmstrong learned through one of their barley brokers that they could obtain Skagit Valley-grown barley from a malter in California. Farmstrong is using that barley now for one beer, Cover Crop Pale Ale. They are grateful but now have to incorporate shipping costs into their barley supply when before they drove their truck to the Port of Skagit in Burlington and picked up what they needed.
Hedlin has developed a good relationship with another malter, too, that he expects would continue even if a local malting business returned. But a local option would likely increase how much barley is grown here, and it would significantly reduce the shipping footprint.
For a business like Farmstrong to succeed, Cameron said that other businesses — farmers, malters — also have to succeed and be profitable. Connections within a strong local economy makes this possible.
“We want this place to remain beautiful and sustainable. We want to take care of it” and allow for economic and business growth, said Sternlicht. “But we want to do that within the character of the place.” Supporting those “people making a living on the land” is one of EDASC’s goals, he said.
Cameron is glad there are “people in the community that have those values, that place the importance of agriculture and what this valley means over profit,” because they are making a critical difference.
Farmstrong believes so strongly in this, they are donating to SPF a dollar for every pint of the Cover Crop Pale Ale they sell in the taproom and ten dollars for every wholesale keg.
Efforts to restart a malting business are underway but not yet resolved. This uncertainty has shown the importance of maintaining a strong agricultural infrastructure in Skagit County.
Cover Crop Handle Art
What the future holds is never certain, but Hedlin believes one of the most important things to any farming operation is optimism. “One thing I am sure of is with a supportive Port and a supportive community and a WSU research unit right here in the middle of our valley,” said Hedlin, “whatever it is, we’ll find it and we’ll make it work.”
By Adam Sowards: info@skagitonians.org