Many people believe professional farmers get most attention, but in Clark County, Washington the ones who seem to count most are the independent amateur farmers.

“This is something I’m doing because I love doing it,” said Jacki Johnson, 64, of Ridgefield told The Seattle Times. A newly retired citizen, Johnson was looking for extra cash and made $4,000 last year for selling plants at shows and farmers markets. With husband Rick, Johnson owns one of 1,943 farm operations that brought in less than $25,000 in 2007 according to the latest census. This number is up by 36 percent compared to the census taken in 2002.

Johnson never planned to go into farming, she just enjoyed to garden as a hobby. Her early sales were a few plants at church fundraisers and at the garden club. She never imagined it would turn into a part-time job for her. Johnson spends eight hours a day in her garden during the summer and eight hours on Saturdays selling them.

Although small farms are booming, many feel larger farms are slowly declining. In Clark County this is happening more than anywhere in Washington. Many large farms are being developed into various projects. 41 of the county’s 94 farms disappeared between 2002 and 2007.

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Tags: small farms, washington

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