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SACRAMENTO -- The
California Resources Agency and
Department of Conservation today saluted
the work of the state’s thousands of
farmers and ranchers in recognition of
National Agriculture Week, which runs
through March 26.
“California has the
most diverse and productive agricultural
economy in the nation,” said Resources
Secretary Mike Chrisman, himself a
rancher. “Farmers and ranchers are an
important part of our economy, and
National Agriculture Week is a great
opportunity to recognize and show
appreciation for the work of the
agricultural community.”
National Agriculture
Week – organized by the Agriculture
Council of America – is designed to
raise awareness of U.S agricultural
significance on national and global
economies. Agriculture is California’s
biggest industry. Production totaled
$27.8 billion in 2003 – nearly double
that of the second most productive
state, Texas. California has nearly
78,500 farming operations, less than
four percent of the nation’s total.
The California
Department of Conservation (DOC) is
responsible for guiding the use of
the state's natural resources, including
farmland, to ensure a safe and
productive environment for California's
present and future generations.
“We face the
difficult challenge of protecting
incredibly productive farmland while at
the same time making room for a growing
population,” said Dennis O’Bryant, head
of DOC’s Division of Land Resource
Protection. “It’s important to remember – not only
during National Agriculture Week but
throughout the year – that the food we
eat comes from farms and ranches, and
that agricultural land is an
irreplaceable natural resource.”
Through the Division
of Land Resource Protection, DOC
administers or supports several programs
designed to balance urban and
agricultural needs, helping to ensure
California’s continued agricultural
production.
DOC has permanently
protected about 25,000 acres of
California’s best and most vulnerable
agricultural land through the California
Farmland Conservancy Program (CFCP).
Begun in 1996, the CFCP provides grant
funding for acquiring agricultural
conservation easements.
Approximately $39
million in state grant funds have been
issued for 60 CFCP projects. Federal
and/or local government, private
foundations, land conservancies and
other sources have put up $33 million in
matching funds to 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.
Many other projects
are in the pipeline. DOC accepts grant
proposals year-round.
More than 16.6
million acres – half of California’s
agricultural land – are enrolled in the
Williamson Act. Widely credited for
preventing leapfrog development, the
program provides tax incentives to
landowners who voluntarily place land in
contracts that continuously restrict
development for 10 years into the future
until the landowner begins the process
of exiting the restrictions. The current
budget earmarks $40 million to reimburse
the 54 participating counties for some
of the property tax revenues they lose.
The Farmland Security
Zone program – an offshoot of the
Williamson Act -- creates 20-year
contracts. Landowners receive additional
tax incentives to participate in this
program. Currently, 763,175 acres in 19
counties are enrolled in the program.
DOC’s Division of
Land Resource Protection also works with
and supports the state’s 100 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.
Since 2000, DOC has
administered the Watershed Coordinator
Grant Program, which has distributed
more than $12 million in grants for
improving watersheds in California. The
grant program has provided funding for
work on 62 impaired watersheds
throughout the state and currently funds
48 grants through 2007.
Another DLRP branch,
the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring
Program, documents land-use conversion
on more than 90 percent of California’s
private lands every two years, producing
maps that help local governments
evaluate land-use planning decisions.
The most recent
statewide data, which has been compiled
into the California Farmland Conversion
Report 2000-02, indicated that more than
91,000 acres were urbanized throughout
the state. Inland locations accepted a
greater proportion of the new urban land
than ever, according to the study.
Mapping for the 2002-04 report is
underway, with the first maps to be
released in spring 2005.
“California is truly
one of the world’s garden spots,”
Secretary Chrisman said. “Both the
Resources Agency and Department of
Conservation are proud to help protect
the state’s agricultural legacy and we
salute the work of our farmers and
ranchers.”
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