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Can tie together much of what Blueprint
Process trying to accomplish.
Protect farmland; open-space benefits
Keep urban areas separate and distinct.
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Used strategically, can channel growth
Mitigation for conversion of ag land due to projects
Habitat mitigation
Protect ag economy
Floodplain growth

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Permanently shields
300 acres of prime farmland from development
High-profile land along the I-80 corridor between
Davis and Dixon at
Kidwell Road exit
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Solano Land Trust, cities of Dixon and
Davis hold easement
First step in building ag buffer between those communities
Land is farmed in hay, sunflowers and tomatoes

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DOC California
Farmland
Conservancy
Program: $2.2 million
USDA Farm and
Ranch Land
Protection Program:
$720,000
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City of Davis:
$507,500
City of Dixon:
$150,000
UC Davis: $77,500
Total: $3,692,500

 Landowner Jean
McConeghy, left, had this to say: “That land is very meaningful to me and my family …
I think what we’ve done would have made my parents very happy.”

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146 acres north of I-80 in Solano County
Local farming families purchased the easementprotected property and will expand agricultural operations
Second major step in creation of an ag buffer between cities of Davis and Dixon
Solano Land Trust, cities bought easement
2 new property owners envision establishing an agricultural showcase -- sell to & teach the public

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DOC/California
Farmland
Conservancy
Program: $971,500
City of Davis:
$810,000
Solano Land Trust:
$115,000
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City of Dixon:
$20,000
Sellers contributed
$75,000 of the appraised easement value through a bargain sale
Total - $1,991,500

 Rich Collins, who bought some of the land under easement, said: “We intend to honor the property’s agricultural past while enhancing and maximizing its productive future…”
Sacramento Bee photo

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Shields 237 acres of prime farmland from development
Expands existing greenbelt between fast-growing communities of
Dixon and Vacaville
Grows wide variety of field crops
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Solano Land Trust purchased 152 acres in ‘03, 85 acres in ’06
Sold to Tom Galindo with easement in place, making land more affordable
Reduces pressure from rural ranchette development

 Both the California
Department of
Conservation’s
California Farmland
Conservancy Program and the USDA’s
Natural Resources
Conservation Service contributed $462,500.

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Much of the work leading to completion of these easements facilitated by CFCP planning/technical assistance grant to SLT
CFCP provides these grants to land trusts and local governments
Can be used for creation & expansion of land trusts, developing strategic farmland conservation plans, developing projects or facilitating landowner outreach efforts

Easement Exchange Project in Lathrop, San Joaquin County

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 Nearly 17 million acres protected under
Williamson Act
Williamson Act exchange projects are more beneficial than straight cancellations
In Lathrop, 308 acres of farmland taken out of
Williamson Act to be developed
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In exchange, 927 acres of farmland permanently shielded from development
Only 5 th Williamson Act easement exchange since program began in 1998
Largest in terms of acreage
Template for future projects on farmland?

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City of Lathrop,
Richland Planned
Communities, San
Joaquin County,
Central Valley
Farmland Trust and
DOC all involved.
Secretary Chrisman:
“A win-win project” Senator Michael Machado and
DOC Director Bridgett Luther.

DOC’s Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program
(FMMP) produces maps and statistical data used for analyzing impacts on California’s agricultural resources. The maps are updated every two years.

Land-use change in the Fresno area from FMMP.
Areas in yellow represent urban growth from 1990-
2004. Irrigated farmland is shown in green.

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In the last two decades, FMMP has mapped loss of more than 1 million acres of farm/grazing land
That’s an area larger than Sonoma County
Biggest component:
Prime farmland
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Upcoming report shows largest drop in prime farmland in program’s history
Our hope: new report will help local governments grasp need to direct future development away from prime farmland

New construction in the Livermore Valley

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Our job is to protect CA’s premier ag lands, which are finite and irreplaceable.
With our current knowledge of the environment, what would we do differently?
How do we work together?

My department has the information decisionmakers need.
We are here to help you with you farmland planning with:
•Planning grants,
•Mapping and
•Conservation funding .