|
SACRAMENTO – The
development pressure on some of the
Salinas Valley’s best farmland has been
permanently relieved, thanks to the
cooperation of a local land trust, the
California Department of Conservation
and the Packard Foundation.
The Monterey County
Agricultural and Historical Land
Conservancy has purchased a permanent
agricultural conservation easement on
the 946-acre Johnson Ranch near King
City. The Department of Conservation’s
California Farmland Conservancy Program
provided a $655,000 grant and the
Packard Foundation $355,000 to make the
transaction possible.
“We’re very pleased
to help ensure that Johnson Ranch will
always remain in agricultural use,”
Department of Conservation Director
Darryl Young said. “The combination of
prime soils and a year-round growing
season make this some of the most highly
productive farmland in the world. And
the fact that a significant watershed
area is also being protected is an added
bonus.”
Johnson Ranch, owned
by Rio Farms and Mesa Packing, is
located about 1.5 miles north of the
city limits of King City. The property
consists of 548 acres of irrigated
farmland and 398 acres of riparian and
natural habitat land on and near the
Salinas River. Due to the local weather
patterns, the farm is located in one of
the few areas of the country that is
suitable for lettuce production during
the summer months. Lettuce and other
irrigated row crop vegetables are grown
on the property.
“Johnson Ranch is
part of the old Spreckles Sugar Company
land, on some of the best ground in the
valley,” said David Gill, a member of
the ownership group. “The timing seemed
right to enter into the program and put
the money into the farm operation. The
land sits on a main county road, and
King City just annexed another
150 acres just south
of us. There’s a lot of home building
going on, and you never know about the
future. Now we can be certain what’s
going to happen with this prime land.”
The Monterey County
Agricultural and Historical Land
Conservancy, founded in 1984, has
completed 32 projects that protect more
than 10,000 acres of agricultural
properties in cooperation with state,
county and federal programs, private
foundations, and the American Farmland
Trust.
“The Johnson Ranch
could have been easily threatened by
development if the landowners were not
so committed to farmland preservation,”
said MCAHLC spokesman Sherwood Darington.
“We realize that development is
inevitable throughout the Salinas
Valley, but we strive to direct the
growth away from prime farmland when
possible.”
California's
agricultural production totaled more
than $29.8 billion in 2001; Monterey
County's total was $2.7 billion,
surpassed in the state only by Fresno
and Tulare counties. But California's
population of about 35 million is
expected to grow to nearly 50 million by
2025, and many acres of farmland are
being developed to accommodate that
growth.
“The California
Farmland Conservancy Program offers a
way to help balance the needs of the
traditional agricultural economy with
the needs of a growing population,” DOC
Director Young said. “As the population
grows, farmland preservation becomes
critical.”
The California
Farmland Conservancy Program,
administered by DOC’s Division of Land
Resource Protection, is designed to
ensure that the state's most valuable
farmland will not be developed. Through
the program, local governments and
non-profit organizations can receive
grants to purchase development rights
from willing landowners, thus creating
permanent conservation easements. CFCP
funds remain for new grant proposals.
Landowners and trusts are encouraged to
contact the Department of
Conservation/Division of Land Resource
Protection for information on the
program and potential grant funding.
DOC also offers
programs – the Williamson Act and
Farmland Security Zones -- that provide
financial incentives to keep land in
agricultural use for periods of 10 and
20 years.
LOCAL CONTACT:
Sherwood Darington, 831-422-5868.
###
|