Farming

Since the first Europeans began ranching in Marin County in the mid-19th century, the county's economy has been tied to livestock agriculture. Today agriculture is still the largest private land use in the county and the rangeland where Marin cattle graze is considered to be some of the best in California. In 2005, dairy and beef cattle provided animal and pasture products valued at about $42 million. Other crops, including field and nursery crops, aquaculture, and organic fruit and vegetable crops contributed an additional $11 million dollars to the value of the year's agricultural products.

We ask that you actively support public policies and private organizations like the Marin Agricultural Land Trust which help protect and preserve these farms and ranches. Most importantly, buy local agricultural products. Ultimately, agriculture will survive and thrive only if we support it.

Marin Farmers and Growers
Organic Farms
Hay and Silage
Viticulture
Aquaculture
Olives

Organic Farms

Organic farming emphasizes a greater cooperation with nature without reliance on synthetic chemicals. Organic crops produced in Marin include: apples, artichokes, beans, berries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chard, cucumbers, dairy products, eggs, flowers, garlic, herbs, leaf lettuce, mixed salad greens, onions, parsley, potatoes, spinach, squash, tomatoes, turnips, and watercress. According to Marin County Agriculture Commissioner Stacy Carlsen, there are 38 registered organic producers (including the Straus Dairy) in Marin, farming 11,300 acres and producing a total gross value of $4.2 million.

Traditional farm stands which dot the countryside in other rural areas are not yet a common sight in Marin. Instead, local growers sell their produce at the farmers' markets throughout the county. Agriculture is a fundamental part of what makes Marin County such an extraordinary place to live, work, visit, and do business.

Hay and Silage

Historically, the coastal towns of Bolinas and Tomales were shipping ports for agricultural products. Tons of potatoes, clams, grains, and dairy products traveled from Marin warehouses to markets in San Francisco. Hay for horses and livestock made the journey in flat-bottomed schooners. Today, the hay crop remains a significant part of Marin's agricultural harvest.

History does not tell us exactly when stored feeds were first fed to animals, but as nomadic people became more settled, animals were domesticated and used in crop production and harvest. The crop residue was fed to the animals. The idea of planting silage crops and preserving and utilizing more of the plant developed gradually in Europe and came to the United States via France in the 1870s.

Silage is made up of forage plants such as legumes, grasses, or cereal grains grown specifically for animals. Healthy livestock require a balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and roughage in their diets, so silage crops are harvested in the spring when nutrients are at their peaks. The crop is usually cut and chopped right in the field with a forage harvester, then packed tightly in a silo or concrete underground bunker or wrapped in a nearly airless plastic bag to prevent spoilage. Acid fermentation takes place within the first few days of storage, then the mixture can be combined with other commodities in a healthy daily ration.

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Viticulture

While livestock agriculture remains Marin’s primary agricultural business, diversification to wine grapes has provided a viable economic alternative for some farmers and ranchers. Just one hundred acres of wine grapes are harvested each year in the County, but the wines produced from those grapes have gained a considerable reputation. Growers have found success planting varieties that do well in a coastal climate, including cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, gewürztraminer, merlot, pinot noir, and shiraz. If wine grapes can be produced in commercial quantities in Marin County, local agriculturalists will have an alternative or supplement to dairy, beef, and sheep operations—the mainstays of West Marin agriculture.

Local wineries include: Corda Winery, Devil’s Gulch Ranch, Mount Tamalpais Vineyards, Pacheco Vineyards, Pey-Marin Vineyards, Point Reyes Vineyard, Stubbs Vineyard.

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Aquaculture

Aquaculture, the cultivation of seafood, began in the United States in the 19th century with oyster and trout farming. It is now the fastest-growing sector of U.S. mainstream agriculture. West Marin companies annually produce about 20% of California's commercial oyster crop, despite continued problems with juvenile seed mortality and harvest closures of Tomales Bay during heavy storms. Marine crops had a value of $3,265,000 in 2005.

Tomales Bay Oyster Company evolved from a San Francisco Bay company founded in 1909. The company moved from there because of water pollution and set up business in West Marin where railroads transported the harvest to market.

Two other long running aquaculture operations in Marin are Hog Island Oyster Company and Point Reyes Oyster Company. The Hog Island operation is also on Tomales Bay and has been in business since 1984. Besides its consumer-direct location in Marshall, Hog Island has expanded retail operations that include a market and oyster bar in San Francisco’s Ferry Building.

Point Reyes Oyster Company is located within the Point Reyes National Seashore on Schooner Bay in Drakes Estero where oyster farming began about 50 years ago. Rancher Kevin Lunny, who grew up on neighboring Lunny Ranch (Historic G Ranch), decided to expand his operations to include the oyster farm. Diversification is a typical story today as ranchers seek to find niche markets to supplement their ranching or farming interests.

Because oysters, clams, and mussels are filter feeders, all these producers have a vested interest in protecting and preserving the water quality and environmental health of the waters they farm. Meat samples are tested with great frequency, and water samples are tested monthly by state and county agencies. These producers actively participate in forums with ranchers, private landowners, kayak outfitters, regulatory agencies, and environmentalists working to protect the ecosystem of the surrounding watershed.

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Olives

Farms and ranches in Marin County produce milk, beef, lamb (and wool), feed crops, eggs, poultry, fruits, vegetables, and shellfish. In 2005, fruits, nuts, and vegetables were harvested here with an economic value of almost $1.2 million. Most of that acreage was devoted to organic commodities including everything from beans and berries to tomatoes and watercress. A relative newcomer on the scene is the 550-acre McEvoy organic olive ranch near the Marin-Sonoma border.

The McEvoy Ranch is set in a spectacular valley along the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road. Rows of olive trees create a quilt-like pattern in countless shades of green that follow the soft contours of the rolling hills. Nearly 18,000 trees have been planted so far. The total project will include trees of assorted varieties including the peppery-tasting Leccio, the fruity Frantoio, and the sweet Pendolin.

Owner Nan McEvoy, former chairman of the board of the Chronicle Publishing Company, toured Italian nurseries and orchards and selected olive varieties with the assistance of vineyard and olive orchard expert Maurizio Castelli. The first olive starts arrived from Tuscany in November, 1991. That winter they were nurtured in the controlled atmosphere of the old barn and planted in the summer of 1992 when they were about two feet tall.

Great care is taken in preparing the soil for planting; no non-organic fertilizers are used. Cover crops such as nitrogen-producing zorrofescue are planted between the irrigated rows which seem to thrive on both the hills above and the flat land near the lake. Trees are regularly pruned from the top to allow sunlight to penetrate evenly, and the prunings are used as cuttings in the nursery. Such pruning permits easier harvesting, too.

Traditional harvesting methods included using long sticks to shake the fruit form the trees onto cloths spread on the ground below, a technique which often damaged the trees. At the McEvoy Ranch the trees that grow on the hillside are picked by hand, and those on flat land are harvested by special machinery with a retractable arm. The first harvest, which produced a fruity oil with a slight tang, took place in December, 1995.

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