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Tomales Farm & Dairy–East, Tomales Marin Agricultural Land Trust, with financial assistance from the California State Coastal Conservancy, has purchased an agricultural conservation easement on a highly visible, 178-acre portion of the Tomales Farm & Dairy property known to many as the Cerini Ranch. The 178-acre property is situated along the Tomales-Petaluma Road on the southern edge of the village of Tomales. The land is transected by Keyes Creek, which drains to Tomales Bay via Walker Creek and provides a wide expanse of open space adjacent to Tomales High School. The Cerini family purchased the land in 1925, and in 2005 Mrs. Gail Cerini sold it (as well as adjacent lands totaling about 500 acres) to Tomales Farm & Dairy, LLC whose principal owners are John Williams and Long Meadow Ranch, which is owned by Ted, Laddie, and Christopher Hall. The Hall family and Williams hope to re-introduce dairy operations, including an artisan cheesemaking facility, on an adjacent site. Due to the existence of numerous legally developable parcels on the farm, the potential for rural estate development was high. Tomales Farm & Dairy worked closely with MALT, local representatives, the Marin County Planning Department, and the Coastal Conservancy, donating roughly 70 percent of the appraised value of the easement and forfeiting existing development rights for as many as ten building sites. Under the terms of the conservation easement, development is now limited to one single-family residence to be occupied by the owner or ranch manager. The easement required the development of a Creek Conservation Management Plan to protect and enhance water quality in Keyes Creek. This plan has already been implemented, Tomales Farm & Dairy is an agricultural collaboration between John Williams and Long Meadow Ranch. Visit www.tomalesfarm.com to view the property and read about plans for its long-term development as a sustainable, organic dairy farm and creamery for the production of artisan cheeses. John Williams is the owner of Frog's Leap Winery which is firmly committed to leading by example. Solar powered and organically farmed, the Rutherford-based family operation produces handcrafted wines that are deeply reflective of the soils from which they emanate. Long Meadow Ranch, family-owned by Ted, Laddie and Christopher Hall, is an innovative, organic farming operation and purveyor of fine food located high above the Napa Valley in the Mayacamas Mountains where it produces elegant and balanced wines, extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed beef, eggs, and heirloom fruits and vegetables. "I thought about it for a long time. I decided it should be kept in open space. Farming seems the best choice," she says. "If you buy stocks, you can't really depend on them. If you have land, it's always there."
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