You can taste the difference. Choosing to buy fresh, local, sustainably grown food makes a difference to the health of your family, our environment and the farmers who work hard to protect the long-term vitality of our land.

Learn about the innovative approaches and incredible care that Farming & the Environment's Stewardship Farmers are putting into growing our food and protecting our land. You can support their good work and the health of your family and our environment by making your next purchase from one of our Stewardship Farmers. Information on where to buy their products is listed at the end of each story or come down to the Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market this summer for a bounty of fresh stewardship products.

Meet the Farmers

Eastern Washington

Eastern Washington features wide open spaces and truly experiences the four seasons. This is primarily cattle and grain country. The counties included in Eastern Washington include Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, and Stevens, Walla Walla, and Whitman.

North Central Washington

North Central Washington is the heart of our State’s tree fruit region. The ample sunshine and the cool waters the Columbia and Okanogan Rivers help to produce an abundance of apples, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plumbs, and pluots. The counties in North Central Washington include Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, and Okanogan Counties.

Puget Sound Region

While serving as the population center for the state, the Puget Sound Region is also a phenomenal agricultural region. The wonderful glacial and organic soils produce the best berry crops in the nation. The growers of this region also produce an abundance of row and seed crops. The counties include Clallam, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Mason, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom.

South Central

South Central Washington features a diversity of landscapes and crops. The Yakima Valley is nationally renowned for the tree fruit and row crops it produces. The grapes and wines of this region are quickly growing in national acclaim as well. Dairy and cattle are also important contributors to agriculture in South Central Washington. This region includes Benton, Franklin, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, and Yakima Counties.

South Western Washington

South Western Washington is influenced by the maritime environment and is a receptor of abundant rain. Dairy and livestock are the primary agriculture products, as well as nursery stock. Counties in South Western Washington include Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania, and Wahkiakum.