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SACRAMENTO – When it
comes to agriculture, California is
truly “the golden state.” An incredibly
diverse variety of crops and livestock
thrive in the state, and California’s
agricultural production totaled $29.8
billion in 2001.
In recognition of
National Agriculture Week, which begins
Sunday, and National Agriculture Day
(March 21, the first day of spring)
Department of Conservation Director
Darryl Young commended California’s
farmers and ranchers for their
tremendous, but often overlooked,
contribution to the state’s economy.
“It may come as a
surprise to some people that agriculture
is the state’s largest industry,” Young
said. “While this is officially National
Agriculture week, Californians should be
aware of, and thankful for, the work of
the state’s farmers and ranchers every
day. We need to appreciate the fact that
our state is blessed with some of the
world’s best farmland, and work to
preserve it to feed ourselves, the
nation and the world.”
The Department of
Conservation works with local
governments, landowners and non-profit
organizations to ensure California’s
continued agricultural production.
The Williamson Act,
established in 1965 and administered by
DOC’s Division of Land Resource
Protection, shields more than 16 million
agricultural and open space acres from
development. The program provides tax
incentives to landowners who voluntarily
place land in contracts, which
continuously restrict development for 10
years into the future until the
landowner begins the process of exiting
the restrictions.
An offshoot of the
Williamson Act, the Farmland Security
Zone program, creates 20-year contracts.
Landowners receive additional tax
incentives to participate in this
program. Currently, 708,000 acres in 19
counties are enrolled.
The California
Farmland Conservancy Program, in
existence since 1996, provides
grant funding for
acquiring agricultural conservation
easements. State grant funds are used in
combination with federal and/or local
funds to help local land trusts and
other entities purchase conservation
easements from willing landowners,
thereby retiring the property’s
development potential. The landowners
retain ownership of the land, and it
remains available for agricultural
production permanently. The restriction
against future development is held by
the land trust, even if the land is
sold.
The program has so
far permanently protected 21,000 acres
of farmland, using $26 million in CFCP
grant funding that has been matched by
another $25 million in private, local,
and federal funding. Many other projects
are in the pipeline, and about $9
million in CFCP funding is currently
available. DOC accepts grant proposals
year-round.
DOC’s Division of
Land Resource Protection also works with
and supports the state’s 103 Resource
Conservation Districts. RCDs are locally
governed agencies set up as special
districts with their own locally
appointed or elected boards of
directors. RCDs are authorized to
undertake projects such as agricultural
land conservation, watershed planning
and management, recreational land
restoration, irrigation management,
forest stewardship, wildlife habitat
enhancement and conservation education.
The Farmland Mapping
and Monitoring Program will release its
biennial California Farmland Conversion
Report in the coming weeks. This program
tracks land use change on 90 percent of
the privately held land in the state
(44.5 million acres), producing maps
that help local governments evaluate
land-use planning decisions. Between
1984 and 2000, the FMMP documented new
urban development on more than 670,000
acres, an area larger in size than
Sacramento County.
“We feel a great
sense of satisfaction in helping to
protect the farmland that feeds
America,” said Erik Vink, who heads
DOC’s
Division of Land Resource Protection.
“We don’t always think about how food
ends up on our table, but National
Agriculture Week is the perfect time to
pause for a moment to appreciate the
work of farmers and ranchers.”
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