Agriculture

Grant County is largely an agricultural area. Much of the rural land is actively used for growing crops, feeding livestock, and providing mineral resources. Owning rural land means knowing how to care for it.

• Farmers often work around the clock, especially during planting and harvest time. Hay is often swathed or baled at night, as are many other harvesting operations. Low flying crop-duster planes may fly overhead during irregular hours. Adjoining agricultural uses may disturb your peace and quiet.
• Land preparation and other operations can cause dust, especially during windy and dry weather.
• Farmers occasionally burn their fields and ditches to keep them clean of debris, weeds, and other obstructions. This burning creates smoke that you may find objectionable.
• Chemicals (mainly fertilizers and herbicides) are often used in growing crops. You may be sensitive to these substances and many people actually have severe allergic reactions. Many times these chemicals are applied by airplanes that fly early in the morning.
• Animals and their manure can cause objectionable odors. What else can we say?
• Agriculture is an important business in Grant County. If you choose to live among the farms and ranches of our rural countryside, do not expect the county government to intervene in the normal day-to-day operations of your agri-business neighbors. In fact, Washington State protects farmers and ranchers from nuisance and liability lawsuits. This enables them to continue producing food and fiber.
• Washington State has a closed range law except for specified areas described in state law. This means that your neighbor’s cattle, sheep, or other livestock should not be on your property. It is the responsibility of the rancher or farmer to keep his/her livestock off your property.
• Before buying land you should know if it has noxious weeds. You will be responsible for the expense to control them. Some plants are poisonous to horses and other livestock. 
• Animals can be dangerous. Bulls, stallions, pigs, rams, and other animals can attack human beings. Children need to know that it is not safe to enter pens where animals are kept.
• Grant County receives less than six inches of precipitation per year. As a result, we have a problem with overgrazing and fugitive dust. Without irrigation, grass does not grow very well. There is a limit to the amount of grazing the land can handle. The Grant County Cooperative Extension Office can help you with these issues.