Four farm businesses launched their first season at Heritage Farm, expanding access to fresh, locally grown food and strengthening our regional farm economy. While full distribution is just ahead, first harvests are beginning. King County residents can look forward to more local produce and cut flowers reaching markets, florists, and community partners throughout the season.
What’s underway at Heritage Farm
After a competitive process, King County’s Water and Land Resource Division’s Agriculture, Forestry & Incentives Unit welcomed four new leaseholders with five-year agreements, each cultivating 2 to 4 acres of shared farmland. Farmers are raising mixed produce and perennial flowers for farmers markets, individual customers, restaurants, food banks, and wholesale aggregators—a mix that supports business resilience and broadens community access to local food.
Heritage Farm is part of King County’s broader effort to strengthen the local food system, support farm viability, and increase access to healthy, affordable food — core goals of the King County Local Food Initiative’s updated roadmap. These working lands deliver multiple benefits: food security, green space and habitat adjacency, and a platform for equitable farmland access for small and growing farm businesses across the county.
“I’m so grateful for the partnership with King County in accessing affordable farmland with water. It has helped me expand my dahlia varieties,” says Heritage Farm lessee Vikki Cha. “I was also able to harvest my statice 3 weeks before my usual time. I have already done my second harvest of statice for the season. I’m beyond excited to see what else I’ll be able to grow in the years to come.”
To set farmers up for success, King County led targeted site improvements for the first year. Supported by funding from the King County Flood Control District, investments included soil testing and soil care recommendations, cover crop seed to build soil health, secure storage containers, and materials to install and connect a central irrigation line to the river pump — secured via a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Hydraulic Project Approval.
“It is really important to be able to provide this level of startup support when opening a new farm to leaseholders,” said King County’s Farmland Access and Conservation Program Manager Melissa Borsting. “Interest far exceeded available acreage, and the selected farmers were poised to scale beyond the incubator stage. It’s very exciting.”
Coexisting with wildlife
A regular part of farming here is adapting to wildlife. This spring, Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) found the tender new plants especially appealing. Farmers are testing visual deterrents and adjusting crop choices to protect seeds and seedlings—an ongoing, hands on approach that’s common in first seasons on new ground.
“I’ve been watching this farm for years—it’s just down the road from my home—and wondering how we might ever get access,” says Beatrice Shimirimana, Heritage Farm lessee. “Now, as a leaseholder, we can take the next step in our business and bring more local produce to our community.”
As irrigation connections are finalized and plantings mature, products will move through existing channels—farmers markets, restaurants, direct customers, and hunger relief partners—bringing more local food to communities countywide.