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SACRAMENTO – In the
mid-1800s, the California gold rush
resulted in about $465 million worth of
gold being extracted from California
lands. In 2004, the state’s farmers and
ranchers produced $25.7 billion worth of
goods. Some may say that this is
comparing apples and oranges. But it’s
more like comparing apples and oranges
to gold – and California agriculture is
literally as good as gold.
The California
Resources Agency and Department of
Conservation today called upon
Californians to reflect on the work of
farmers and ranchers on California
Agricultural Day, March 29.
“Farmers and ranchers
not only produce food, they also are a
driving force in our economy that cannot
be taken for granted,” said California
Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman, a
fourth-generation California rancher.
“We’re fortunate to have the most
productive agricultural economy and the
biggest variety of agricultural
commodities in the nation. On this day,
we all should gratefully acknowledge the
importance of the agricultural community
and remember that food doesn’t come from
supermarkets, but rather from farms and
ranches -- the result of a lot of hard
work.”
While agriculture is
California’s biggest industry, total
production, the number of farms and the
amount of acreage involved in
agriculture has dipped in recent years.
The 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.
DOC Director Bridgett
Luther is especially interested in the
issue of farmland protection. Before
moving to California a few years ago,
she founded the Carolinas office of the
Trust for Public Land, a national land
conservation organization.
“The issue of
disappearing farmland is very sad,” she
said. “There’s a real need for the kind
of protection the Department of
Conservation offers through its
programs. California has an incredible
natural resource in its wonderfully rich
farmland, and we need to protect it
while at the same time accommodating a
population that keeps on growing. ”
The DOC’s Division of
Land Resource Protection oversees
several programs that help ensure
California’s continued agricultural
production by balancing growth and
agricultural concerns and promoting wise
land-use planning:
Williamson Act: More
than 16.8 million acres -- half of
California’s agricultural land -- are
enrolled in this program, which has been
widely credited with reducing “leapfrog”
development. The Williamson Act 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 nearly $40 million to reimburse
the 54 participating counties for some
of the property tax revenues they lose.
Farmland Security
Zones: An offshoot of the Williamson
Act, this program creates 20-year
non-development contracts. Landowners
receive additional tax incentives to
participate in this program. Currently,
760,000 acres in 19 counties are
enrolled in the program.
Farmland Mapping and
Monitoring Program: Every two years,
this program produces a report
documenting land-use conversion on more
than 90 percent of California’s private
lands. Its maps are distributed to local
governments to help evaluate land-use
planning decisions. Between the
program’s inception and 2002, California
has seen the urbanization of nearly
764,000 acres – about one square mile
every 5.5 days.
California Farmland
Conservancy Program: Begun in 1996, this
program has provided $47 million in
grant funding to permanently shield
33,000 acres of the state’s best and
most vulnerable agricultural land from
development with conservation easements.
The state budget allocated $15 million
of Proposition 40 bond funds to CFCP for
fiscal year 2005-06. An additional $9
million of Proposition 40 bond funds are
targeted for farmland conservation in
the upcoming fiscal year.
Resource Conservation
Districts: RCDs are locally governed
agencies set up as special districts
with their own locally appointed or
elected boards of directors. The
Division of Land Resource Protection
supports – financially and otherwise --
the state’s 100 RCDs. These districts
undertake projects such as agricultural
land conservation, watershed planning
and management, and recreational land
restoration.
“The Resources Agency
and Department of Conservation salute
the work of our farmers and ranchers and
pledge our continued support to help
protect the state’s agricultural economy
and legacy,” Secretary Chrisman said.
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