Hobby Farms
The Whatcom Conservation District defines a small farm, or hobby farm, as a non-commercial operation between five and 40 acres. Small hobby farms in Whatcom County include beef cows, pigs, horses, mink, poultry, llama, goats, sheep and others.
As of 1999, small farms only comprise 0.3%, or approximately 100 acres, of land within the Lake Whatcom watershed. However, they have can still have an impact on water quality. An improperly managed farm can contribute to sedimentation, nutrient loading and bacterial contamination of the Lake Whatcom Watershed system.
