Senator Murray, who serves as the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion with Breadlab researchers and Port officials on some key federal investments to move the region forward.

“I want you all to know just how serious I am about delivering federal investments to support the Port of Skagit and agricultural initiatives like Breadlab, which keep our economy running and food on our tables,”  stated Senator Murray.

The WSU Breadlab has been located at the Port of Skagit since 2015 and was the Port’s first partner in building the value-added agriculture sector at the Bayview Business Park.  With more than 80 different crops grown commercially in the Skagit Valley, agriculture is an important industry within our community and beyond.

“We appreciate Senator Murray’s support of value-added agriculture in our community and her commitment to ensuring its viability,” stated Port Commission President Steve Omdal.  “We look forward to partnering with her to enhance the opportunities for continued growth and successful outcomes for local agriculture.”

The Port of Skagit is home to about 20 different value-added agriculture businesses.  The diverse agricultural work being done by Port tenants include research, wheat-breeding, milling, brewing, baking, malting, farm incubator, trainings and workshops, seed, bulb and fertilizer companies, pickle and meat processing, active farmland and more.

The post Senator Murray Visits WSU Breadlab at Port of Skagit appeared first on Port of Skagit.

Spinach Bus Ventures, the team who owns Tulip Town, Skagit Acres and the Fairhaven Mill is moving into the restaurant space at the Port of Skagit, bringing their love of the Skagit Valley to the dining table.

The new restaurant, called Skagit Landing, will begin meal service on April 10^th with “grab & go” style breakfast and lunch, and work up to full-service dining in the weeks to follow.  Chef Josie Urbick, who has worked for Seattle Chef Tom Douglas and most recently at Bon Appetit in the Seattle Art Museum, is excited to join her childhood friends on this new venture and is completing the menu and renovations on the restaurant.

No stranger to the local agricultural industry, this hometown investment group hopes to make Skagit cuisine accessible to everyone.  Andrew Miller, CEO of Spinach Bus Ventures explained that the airport location is ideal because visitors will drive through—or fly over—the beautiful agricultural land to arrive at the restaurant.   They plan to source most of their ingredients from local farms, in order to support the local ag industry and to highlight the exceptionally high-quality products from the valley.  Partnering with the Port of Skagit on this endeavor helped all the pieces fall into place.   “We are so fiercely proud of the Skagit Valley and there’s no bigger champion of value-added agriculture than the Port of Skagit.” Miller stated.

Port Commissioner Dr. Kevin Ware shared his enthusiasm for the new Port business, and its focus on local agriculture.  “Our valley and our community are agriculture-based.  It’s a part of our heritage and culture—it’s who we are.”  said Commissioner Ware, “Projects like Skagit Landing, are exactly the kinds of things we should be doing here to encourage the use of products we grow locally.  In addition, as a doctor, eating healthy is an important part of our wellbeing.  Eating locally produced products is a big step in that direction.”

Skagit Landing will begin with Grab & Go meal service and add full-service dining later in the spring.  Eventually, they will add catering services as a way of further connecting with some of the breweries and other businesses located at the Port and throughout the community.

Since 2010, the Port of Skagit has invested substantial resources in infrastructure, research and technology that supports value-added agriculture.  There are currently 18 businesses located on Port property in the value-added agriculture sector.

The post Familiar Faces Moving into Port of Skagit Restaurant appeared first on Port of Skagit.

The day included tours and conversations with representatives from Island Grown Farmers’ Cooperative, Corporate Air Center, Systima Technologies, Dyberg Aviation and Mavrik Marine.  Representatives from each of the businesses, along with Port staff, shared project updates with the District 2 Congressman, discussed the Port’s role in economic recovery, and how working with the Port has benefited their businesses.

“We couldn’t have done it without the Port’s partnership,” stated Zachery Battle, owner of Mavrik Marine.  “I can’t imagine a better situation with them.”  The Port is nearing completion of a 17,000 s.f. building for Mavrik Marine that was funded by a combination of state and local funding. The Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) Committed Private Partner Program provided $3 million in grant and loan funding, a Skagit County economic development grant offered $300,000, and the Port of Skagit supported the project with $500,000 in capital funds.

Port of Skagit Commissioner Kevin Ware explained that adding more infrastructure will in turn attract more businesses and create more jobs—which is the core mission of the Port of Skagit.   “The Port of Skagit has the unique opportunity to focus primarily on economic development.  With that, we have been very successful in leveraging funding opportunities for public-private partnerships that are helping businesses expand their footprint and create more jobs.”

Representative Larsen serves as the Chair of the Aviation Sub-Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, so the FAA-funded apron expansion at Skagit Regional Airport was of particular interest to him.  The Federal Aviation Administration provided approximately $4.5-million of $5-million project, an investment that will continue to build business development opportunities at the Port of Skagit and job creation in our community.

The post U.S. Representative Rick Larsen Tours Port of Skagit Projects appeared first on Port of Skagit.

In October of 2013, Washington State Department of Commerce designated Skagit Valley as an Innovation Partnership Zone (IPZ), focusing on value-added agriculture. The Skagit Valley Value-Added Agriculture Innovation Partnership Zone nurtures partnerships to enhance the local agricultural industry. The Genuine Skagit Valley Certification Mark is the result of the IPZ initiative.

Thank you to our Skagit Valley farmers, producers, businesses, community leaders and all of our members who have worked tirelessly to make this a reality. The Northwest Agriculture Business Center is managing and administering the Certification Mark program.

A simple application for certification and a nominal annual fee are required to be a member of Genuine Skagit Valley and use the Certification Mark. Please visit Genuine Skagit Valley for more information.

Over five thousand years ago, epic glaciers created a great river valley surrounded by mountains to become the magical, beautiful Skagit Valley in the great Pacific Northwest. Discovered by explorers from around the globe, the fertile Skagit Valley is an agricultural paradise of over 2,000 square miles. Thousands of growers, producers and food artisans offer hundreds of agricultural treasures and natural goodness worldwide.

The Skagit Valley agricultural economy is very diverse in many aspects including approximately 100 large farm operations (primarily wholesale) and approximately 1,000 small agricultural enterprises (retail and wholesale) supplying over 80 agricultural products. Port of Skagit Commissioner Steve Omdal stated, “The ‘Genuine Skagit Valley’ Mark reflects the capability of Skagit County to produce a wide variety of agricultural products for all consumers.”

The Skagit Valley provides nearly 95% of the U.S. supply of table beet seed, 75% of the U.S. supply of spinach seed and approximately 8% of the spinach seed used throughout the world. Skagit Valley farmers are producing approximately 25% of the world’s cabbage seed and 50% of the world’s beet seed. More tulips, daffodils and iris bulbs are produced in the Skagit Valley than in any other county in the United States. Additionally, approximately 50 million cut flowers are grown in greenhouses and fields in the Skagit Valley and approximately 95 percent of the red potatoes grown in Washington State are from Skagit Valley. The Genuine Skagit Valley Mark does not replace any individual’s or producer’s brand, it magnifies it as a positive “Halo” brand. The emphasis is on origin.

By highlighting the origin aspect of a product or service, in conjunction with others doing the same, we communicate that Skagit Valley is special. Studies have repeatedly shown that today’s consumers prefer knowing where products originate and prefer local products. The IPZ encourages Innovation to create a “terroir” brand that increases the recognition of and demand for Skagit products worldwide. Collaboration among partners to enhance a vibrant local agricultural economy benefits farms, sellers, consumers, and all local residents.

Preference for Skagit Valley’s agricultural products and services builds our perceived value and relevance in the minds of residents, regional, national and international fresh food artisans, fresh food purchasers, consumers, food marketers, government agencies and influencers.

The post Port of Skagit Announces “Genuine Skagit Valley” Federal Certification Mark appeared first on Port of Skagit.