3,700 WA Farms Shut Down in 5 Years. Why?
August 23, 2025 | Source: The Seattle Times | by Mara Mellits
Don McMoran is a fourth-generation farmer. And his family’s farm in Mount Vernon might end with him.
McMoran has two 16-year-old daughters. One is “mildly interested” in the family farm, he said, while the other is “a hard no.”
His story is one familiar to many Washington farm families. The stressors placed on farmers, including inflation, weather changes and tariffs, can all take a toll on their mental health, leading them to shut down their farms and leaving the next generation less interested in taking over. Over 3,700 farms shut down in Washington from 2017 to 2022, according to the Census of Agriculture.
McMoran grew up on his family’s farm. He remembers the “good old days” when he’d work hard, but also made enough money to replace equipment or buy new land.
“It’s fun when you’re making money, but the flip side of that is when you work your tail off and you have to go to your banker and get a loan, that’s not fun at all,” McMoran said.