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SACRAMENTO – What is
the state of farming and ranching in
California as National Agriculture Week
approaches? Similar to the variety of
commodities produced here, it’s a mixed
bag.
“On one hand, the
total value of California’s crops (more
than $32 billion) has never been
higher,” said California Secretary for
Resources Mike Chrisman, a
fourth-generation rancher. “And I
recently read a California Farm Bureau
Federation survey that said young
farmers and ranchers are optimistic
about the future.
“On the other hand,
the total acreage involved in
agriculture has decreased steadily over
the last several years, and in some
areas, there’s an eyebrow-raising amount
of development going on that’s
permanently taking prime farmland out of
production.”
The Resources Agency
and Department of Conservation today
called upon Californians to take a
moment to reflect on the work of farmers
and ranchers during National
Agricultural Week. Started in 1973 by
the Agricultural Council of America,
National Agriculture Week runs March 17-
23. California Agriculture Day will be
celebrated on the west steps of the
Capitol on March 20.
“We need to remember
that food doesn’t magically show up in
supermarkets, but is the result of the
efforts of thousands of people,” DOC
Director Bridgett Luther said. “Our
farmers and ranchers help feed the
state, the nation and the world. We’re
thankful for their work and mindful of
its importance.”
The DOC helps guide
the use of the state's natural
resources, including farmland, to ensure
a safe, productive environment for
California's present and future
generations. Agriculture remains
California’s largest industry thanks to
farmers and ranchers who have found ways
to be more productive on less land.
“We are all aware
that if California was a nation, its
economy would rank among the world’s
largest, and agriculture is a huge part
of that,” Luther said. “We’re blessed
with a great climate and some of the
world’s finest farmland. But good soil
is a limited resource, so we must work
to conserve it.”
Farmland protection
is a key issue for both DOC and Luther,
who founded the Carolinas office of the
Trust for Public Land, a national land
conservation organization, before moving
to California a few years ago. Through
its
Division of Land Resource Protection
(DLRP), DOC oversees several programs
that help ensure the state’s continued
agricultural production by balancing the
needs of a growing population with those
of agricultural concerns.
A closer look at
those programs:
Williamson Act: More
than 16.6 million acres – about 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 (non-renewal). The
current budget earmarks nearly $40
million to reimburse the 54
participating counties for some of the
property tax revenues they lose.
As of January 1,
2005, 314,880 acres of contracted land
were in some stage of non-renewal.
“Those are the
highest non-renewal numbers we’ve ever
seen,” said Brian Leahy, a former
organic farmer who heads DLRP.
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. About
818,000 acres in 21 counties are
enrolled.
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. FMMP maps are distributed to
local governments to help evaluate
land-use planning decisions.
The California
Farmland Conversion Report 2002-2004
will be released in the coming months. A
statewide summary is undergoing final
analysis, but the data for the Central
San Joaquin Valley serves as a sneak
preview that raises concerns: 18,801
acres of land in Fresno, Kings, Merced,
Madera, and Tulare counties were
converted from farmland or grazing land
to non-agricultural uses between 2002
and 2004. That’s an increase in
converted ag land of more than 4,000
acres since the 2000-2002 report.
“It may not seem like
much acreage day to day, but over time,
it adds up,” Luther said.
California Farmland
Conservancy Program: The CFCP seeks to
encourage the long-term, private
stewardship of agricultural lands
through the voluntary use of
agricultural conservation easements.
Begun in 1996, this program has provided
$53 million in funding to permanently
shield 35,000 acres of the state’s best
and most vulnerable agricultural land
from development. Most projects are
completed in partnership with federal,
state or local governments and nonprofit
land trusts.
The CFCP also
provides policy/planning grants to local
land trusts and other organizations that
are helping to build land preservation
policies and ethics in their own
communities.
“Land use planning in
California is local, and helping to
develop strong local organizations to
guide communities through the challenge
of population growth while preserving
important farmland is one of the best
investments the state can make in
providing a better future for
California,” Leahy said.
Resource Conservation
Districts: RCDs are locally governed
agencies set up as special districts
with their own locally appointed or
elected boards of directors. DLRP
supports – financially and otherwise --
the state’s 102 RCDs. These districts
undertake projects such as agricultural
land conservation, watershed planning
and management, and recreational land
restoration. A new round of grants to
fund local watershed coordinators is
expected in the fall of 2007.
“We take pride in
helping to protect California’s
farmland,” Chrisman said. “National
Agriculture Week is the ideal time to
reflect on all that our farmers and
ranchers do for society.”
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