For over 30 years, we have worked with willing landowners to protect working farms and ranches throughout Sonoma County. We have protected over 50 farms and ranches, safeguarding our county’s rural character, our capacity for local food production, and the critical connections necessary for thriving farms, dairies, and ranches.
Conserving our working lands plays an essential role in maintaining viable and productive agriculture, especially as land prices rise and development pressure grows. Our primary tool for conserving land is a conservation easement, which can give farmers the economic boost they need to keep or enhance their agricultural operation and provide funds to that help keep family farms and ranches in business. We also have our Buy-Protect-Sell pilot program that aims to make land more affordable by buying a farm or ranch property, protecting it with a conservation easement, and then selling the conserved land to a qualified farmer or rancher.
The land we protect produces milk and cheese, grass-fed meats, seasonal vegetables and fruits, pasture-raised eggs, orchard crops like apples and pears, honey, and wine. 87% of these protected lands permit grazing, livestock production, cultivation, crop sales, beekeeping, and the raising of fish and poultry. In addition, 36,500 acres of grazing land, irrigated pasture, and hayfields are protected forever ensuring a strong local food source.
Farms, ranches, dairies, and other agricultural operations provide jobs and revenue to the local economy, and supply our community with locally produced food, fiber, and other crops. In 2018, the total value of crops produced in Sonoma County exceeded $1 billion, a 24% increase over the previous year. By preserving a critical mass of farms and ranches we are not only supporting farmers and ranchers we are also supporting important agricultural service businesses like veterinarians, feed stores, creameries, and processing facilities.
By protecting farms, ranches, and dairies we are preserving our scenic rural landscapes and creating a climate resilient agricultural community. Many of Sonoma County’s farms, ranches and dairies are on open land with acres of grassland. These grasslands play a crucial role in sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and ensure humans and wildlife will be able to adapt to changes in the climate.
