Major investment in productive and sustainable local agriculture made by Sonoma County Ag + Open Space with conservation of McClelland Dairy
Over several decades, landowner George McClelland has led by example in melding productive agricultural practices with thoughtful natural resources management
SANTA ROSA, CA (September 22, 2025) – In partnership with landowners George and Dora McClelland, Sonoma County Ag + Open Space is proud to announce the conservation of the nearly 350-acre McClelland Dairy. Located just west of Petaluma on Bodega Avenue, in the historic Two Rock Valley, this working dairy is the heart of the McClelland Family’s dairy operation. The multi-generational ranch prioritizes environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability by utilizing practices that help sequester carbon and reduce the greenhouse gas impact of the dairy while improving its agricultural capacity over the long run. The conservation of McClelland Dairy helps create a block of nearly 1,500 acres of Ag + Open Space-protected farms and ranches in the area. Ag + Open Space acquired a conservation easement on the property for $2,610,000.
“Conserving our farms and ranches is a critical endeavor,” said Ag + Open Space Board of Directors member David Rabbitt. “Our county’s agriculture economy is core to the local economy, providing food, jobs, and supporting the health of local ecosystems. Conserving McClelland is a great step in the right direction.”
McClelland Dairy, a family-owned and operated farm, has strong agricultural values with rolling to flat terrain, productive agricultural soils, abundant water resources, and a mild climate. An upper stretch of Stemple Creek flows through the property, and its riparian area was restored more than a decade ago, providing excellent habitat, water filtration, and other ecological functions. The McClellands have always held that the natural resources of the property are of the highest importance, through riparian habitat restoration, carbon farming, and more.
“We’re honored to work with the McClelland family to conserve their vibrant dairy,” said Ag + Open Space General Manager Misti Arias. “With this acquisition we conserve so much for all who live in Sonoma County. It’s a productive agricultural operation that exemplifies how agriculture and natural resource management can and do go hand-in-hand. And even beyond that, their commitment to welcoming the community onto the farm and their work to secure its diverse agricultural and natural resources for future generations is an inspiration.”
Prior to European settlement, the property was part of an expansive territory inhabited by the Native Coast Miwok. At one point, the property was owned by the Purvine family, one of the earlier settlers in the Two Rock Valley area. In the 1930s, the current property was cultivated with row crops, such as corn and potatoes. Dairy cows were introduced in the 1940s, and poultry operations and grass silage production were introduced in the 1960s. It was purchased by Bob and Lil McClelland, George’s parents, in 1964, and they converted the property into an active dairy operation. The land has continued as a working dairy since its purchase by the McClelland family.
Protection of this property is critical to Ag + Open Space’s goal of protecting agricultural lands. McClelland Dairy has excellent agricultural soils and a diverse water supply, which makes it particularly well suited to carry on a variety of agricultural uses as climate and market conditions change over time. It’s location in the heart of the Two Rock Valley is ideal for grazing operations as well as crops, due to its mild, foggy climate and flat to gently rolling topography. The farm is currently home to large dairy operation that sells organic milk to Organic Valley Farms.
This acquisition adds to the conserved lands already under the McClelland Family’s stewardship, which includes the Ag + Open Space-protected Hansen Ranch, a 330-acre organic dairy with intermittent creeks and riparian habitat. McClelland Dairy was originally made up of six separate parcels, each of which could have been sold for rural residential development, which is prevalent in nearby lands. Ag + Open Space’s conservation easement over the property will ensure that it always remains large enough for a variety of agricultural pursuits.
McClelland Dairy is one of several farms and ranches that Ag + Open Space has protected in and around the Two Rock Valley. Protecting large blocks of agricultural properties in this area can help support individual farms and ranches and the agricultural community, and also helps ensure there’s enough business for necessary support industries like feed suppliers and veterinarians.
“To us, the importance of Ag + Open Space-conserved farmland is a beautiful Two Rock Valley with agricultural land working with the environment,” said George and Dora McClelland. “Cows, grass, crops, fresh air – for generations to come and enjoy, and generations of farmers to be able to work the land.
Succession planning is currently a high priority for many farmers, as the current population of farmers and ranchers near retirement. Conserving this farm will help current owners George and Dora feel secure in passing the farm to their grandchildren who currently work on the farm and intend to carry on its legacy. Through the conservation process, Ag + Open Space provides a one-time payment for the value of the development rights and other uses that are prohibited. This payment is usually used to invest in the property, and in this case will allow George and Dora to consolidate ownership by buying out family members and purchasing nearby grazing land that the family has leased for decades.
This highly productive agricultural land has also been managed by the McClellands to sequester carbon in the grassland soils and riparian forest on the property. In 2018, the McClelland Dairy developed a Carbon Farm Plan in collaboration with the Sonoma Resource Conservation District. The objective of the plan was to enhance carbon sequestration in the soil and vegetation, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the farm’s productivity and environmental health. The plan outlines carbon beneficial practices, including prescribed grazing, hedgerows, riparian plantings, fencing, compost application and more. The McClellands are currently in the home stretch of completing all of the steps outlined by the plan, a huge feat in and of itself, and the rewards are already evident – carbon farming not only helps capture excess carbon, it also helps nurture soils that then keep groundwater clean and provide food and habitat for both wild and domestic animals.
The farm is situated in the upper reaches of the Stemple Creek watershed, which is known to support several special-status species, including California freshwater shrimp (Syncaris pacifica) and California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii). With its open grasslands and shady creek, this farmland also provides habitat for a variety of native wildlife species, including ground-nesting species like the western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus), and American kestrels (Falco sparverius).
As identified by the State Water Resources Control Board, Stemple Creek is an impaired waterbody, and the sediments and toxins found in the creek have been affecting the shrimp, fish, and crabs downstream in the Estero de San Antonio. As part of their work to restore their stretch of Stemple Creek’s riparian habitat, the family worked with Point Blue’s STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed) program more than a decade ago to plant native plant species, which helps reduce the amount of sediment that makes its way downstream, lowers water temperatures, and otherwise improving water quality. The continued careful stewardship of the riparian corridor on McClelland Dairy’s stretch of Stemple Creek is important for the long-term recovery goals of the entire watershed and has served as a model for other properties in the area.
Adding even more to its local importance, this property is part of a larger landscape renowned for its scenic beauty. The property is highly visible from Bodega Avenue, a gateway to the Sonoma and Marin County coastlines and a designated scenic byway. Bodega Avenue and Purvine Road, which run along the property, are well known with plein air painters, car clubs, photographers, and cyclists for their rustic atmosphere. Originally comprised of more than six separate lots, McClelland Dairy’s proximity to Petaluma and beautiful setting, in an area with many small rural lots, means it was of higher risk for being converted into multiple rural residential estates. Now, its agricultural, natural, and scenic resources are forever conserved via Ag + Open Space’s easement.
Funds for purchasing the conservation easement on McClelland Dairy were, in part, made available through the California Strategic Growth Council’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC) in collaboration with the Department of Conservation. SALC is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Media Contact:
Lauren Alpert
lauren.alpert@sonoma-county.org
707/565.7345