Newsletter

Fall 2003 Newsletter
Farming on the Edge: How are we doing in Marin?
Ice Cream for Breakfast, Strawberries for Lunch
Summary of Marin County 2002 Agricultural Production
Marin County Reaffirms Support for Agriculture
Marin Producers Make their Mark at New Ferry Building Emporium
Harvest Day at the Farm
Jim McIsaac Joins MALT Board
New Strategy for Saving Farmland
Whole Foods Community Support Day Nets $50,000 for MALT
Rancher Bill Straus Mourned

Farming on the Edge: How are we doing in Marin?

According to the American Farmland Trust (AFT), a national farmland conservation organization, the U.S. converted more than six million acres of agricultural land—an area the size of Maryland—to development between 1992 and 1997. That’s two acres of farmland lost every minute. AFT also reports that the rate at which we lost farm and ranch land nationally in the 1990s—1.2 million acres a year—was 51% faster than in the 1980s.

In most parts of the country we experience this loss by having to drive farther to find farmland. On that drive, slowed by traffic and tangles of intersections, we notice that rows of houses and shopping malls have sprouted in the former fields.

Marin County is one of the few communities in this country where you can still see the greatness early Americans saw in our natural landscape. More than 50 years ago, Marin residents began pioneering “smart growth,” “liveable communities,” and “sustainability,” long before these efforts even had names. They fought the sprawl that has blighted so much of our country. As a result, many of the open spaces which make up Marin’s extraordinary natural landscape survived, and much of it has been protected.

But the agricultural land which provides the open space, scenic vistas, watershed protection, and wildlife habitat that are so much a part of Marin’s character and quality of life, continues to be at risk. The forces that Marin Agricultural Land Trust was created to counter—persistent escalation of agricultural land values and non-agricultural development threatening the viability of agriculture and endangering Marin’s fundamental character—are as strong or stronger today than they were in 1980 when MALT was founded.

In the late 1960s, the western agricultural part of Marin County was slated for full-scale urban development. A county-approved plan envisioned multi-lane highways, shopping malls, marinas in Tomales Bay, and tens of thousands of units of suburban-style residential development. The Countywide Plan and A-60 zoning adopted in 1972 changed the vision from massive development. But as growth in East Marin and the Bay Area accelerated, escalating land values and proposals for development again threatened the survival of agriculture.

In 1980 a unique alliance of ranchers, environmentalists and community leaders created MALT to help preserve the farmland which is such a fundamental part of the character and quality of Marin County. While public ownership was an appropriate means to protect land for public use, the founders of MALT believed that the future of agriculture depended on working with private landowners to achieve community objectives. MALT’s creators proposed to use the innovation of conservation easements to preserve the farmland that gives food, beauty, and balance to our lives, and simultaneously to protect important public values such as open space and wildlife habitat at far lower cost than traditional fee acquisition.

Since then, MALT has permanently protected almost 30% of private agricultural land in the County through the acquisition of 49 agricultural conservation easements on more than 32,000 acres. The first land trust in the country founded solely to preserve agricultural lands, MALT became a national model for farmland preservation. It’s encouraging to note that land trusts whose primary focus is farmland protection now have some 1,735,000 acres under protection nationwide, according to the Land Trust Alliance.

The heart of MALT’s program is to offer farming and ranching families a conservation alternative to sale or development of their land. Because farmland protection is ultimately the result of hundreds of decisions by individual landowners about whether to stay or sell out, the battle is won or lost property by property, owner by owner. MALT’s purchase of conservation easements compensates landowners for permanently forgoing non-agricultural development, and preserves productive agricultural properties which might otherwise be converted to non-agricultural use. Equally important, MALT’s program sustains the expectation that agriculture has a future in the county, suppressing any sense of impermanence which is fatal to the long-term viability of agriculture.

MALT's ability to offer a conservation alternative to sale or development continues to be crucial to the survival of agriculture in Marin County. The persistent escalation of agricultural land values and non-agricultural development threats present constant problems for farming families, threaten the viability of agriculture in Marin, and endanger Marin’s fundamental character.

Marin’s agricultural landscape is a true wealth generator that provides a broad range of values and benefits to our community for both residents and visitors, at little or no public cost. But its very beauty and accessibility subject the land and its owners to persistent threats from high land values and competing land uses.

With the continued help of our members, supporters and friends, we can preserve Marin’s agricultural land and the public values it represents. Realization of our ultimate goal is years ahead, but what we do now will serve and sustain our community for years to come.

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Ice Cream for Breakfast, Strawberries for Lunch

The machine that swirls the organic vanilla bean ice cream into the circle of colorful pint containers finishes each one off with a curly top-knot. A worker in a white coat, rubber boots, and a hair net moves to put a lid on the cartons, but not before dairyman Albert Straus grabs two pints to share with visitors at his Marshall creamery that day. He lifts the carton in a toast and takes a drink of the still-soft confection. We follow suit. It’s not yet 8 A.M.

At noon on the Sartori Ranch in Tomales, Russ Sartori is just returning from making deliveries of his organic strawberries to markets in Mill Valley and San Rafael. In mid-summer, his 00-acre field is lush with berries that are large, juicy, and downright irresistible. A former dairyman, Russ diversified his operation to the field crop just two years ago, but has already established an avid following for his fruit throughout Marin at specialty groceries and farmers’ markets.

Albert Straus and Russ Sartori are finding that niche markets are a viable alternative to the traditional ranching operations of their fathers, both of whom were conventional dairymen. According to Marin County’s Agricultural Commissioner Stacy Carlsen, direct-to-consumer marketing like Sartori’s and value-added products like Straus’ are ideal for local farmers. “The Straus Creamery is the model for how to control each stage and produce the products,” he said. “and direct-to-consumer sales [like Sartori’s] means less commodities which changes the dynamic.” The decrease in 2002 milk commodity prices was reflected in an overall decrease of 13% in total agricultural production value in Marin. Conventional dairy farmers received less than 80 cents per gallon for their milk last year, according to Carlsen. “It’s not enough,” he said.

Marin dairies still provide about 20% of the Bay Area’s milk supply, but he estimates that 50 years ago, before the advent of regional cooperatives when milk was bottled and sold closer to home, Marin dairies probably accounted for 40% of Bay Area supply. Today Marin ranks number 15 in statewide dairy production with a total of 29 dairies and 9,500 milk cows.

Carlsen sees adding value to farm products as an important consideration for growers and producers in Marin. “The value of farm products can be increased in seemingly endless ways,” according to his 2002 County of Marin Livestock and Agricultural Crop Report, “by cleaning, cooling, cooking, combining, churning, culturing, grinding, hulling, extracting, drying, smoking, handcrafting, spinning, weaving, labeling, packaging, distributing, and by adding information, education, or entertainment.” And a touch of ice cream for breakfast never hurt.

Hard work, but someone has to do it: Tasting the new Straus organic ice cream at the Straus Family Creamery in Marshall during the filming of a 'Bay Area Backroads' segment about MALT are (left to right) Constance Washburn, MALT Education Director; Albert Straus, dairyman; Michael Rosenthal, producer; and Doug McConnell, 'Bay Area Backroads' host. The show will air this winter on KRON, Channel 4. It will also feature Russell Sartori and his organic strawberry operation and the Barboni Ranch in Hicks Valley.

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Summary of Marin County 2002 Agricultural Production

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Marin County Reaffirms Support for Agriculture

From his personal conviction of the importance of agriculture to Marin County to strategic efforts in his role as 4th District supervisor, Steve Kinsey has set the stage for addressing the needs of Marin’s agricultural industry. In March, 2001, he convened an Agricultural Advisory Committee to identify specific actions that might be taken to support the long-term viability of family farming. MALT Executive Director Bob Berner served on the committee, helping to create the “Near-Term Agriculture Plan” with goals for education, County effectiveness, preservation of agricultural land value, and National Park Service support for ranches within the national seashore.

At a follow-up meeting held this summer, ranchers and other agricultural support people learned that many of the short-term actions identified in the plan have been accomplished, including:

• Modifications to the County's agricultural zoning regulations clarified requirements for agricultural land uses and now provide more flexibility to farmland owners and operators.



• MALT's former land steward Lisa Bush has been hired by the county to work with UC Cooperative Extension to provide training to the Planning, Public Works, Environmental Health, and Building departments to improve protocols for agricultural permits so landowners can more easily diversify or strengthen operations.



• MALT, UC Cooperative Extension, and Marin Organic are sponsoring an ongoing series of workshops on agricultural diversification that has included sessions on organic strawberry production, growing medicinal herbs and cut flowers, and artisanal cheesemaking.



• Point Reyes National Seashore is approving diversification projects on ranches located on parkland on a case-by-case basis, which may include small organic operations, bed-and-breakfast accommodations, and grass-fed beef production, according to Superintendent Don Neubacher.

"This is a rare opportunity for the ag community to speak to a whole team of ag support folks about their needs and to keep strategic efforts focused," said Supervisor Kinsey who promised to continue to provide assistance on these and other critical pressures facing family farms in Marin County.

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Marin Producers Make their Mark at New Ferry Building Emporium

The first things you notice when you step from the Larkspur ferry into the newly refurbished San Francisco Ferry Building are the words “Point Reyes Station” printed proudly on the wall above the entrance. The name signifies that the West Marin town and the other towns whose names are emblazoned throughout the building are the sources of farm products being sold in the landmark 1898 building and in the farmers’ market held in the plaza outside.

“Our goal is to create a relationship between farmers and urban dwellers,” notes Lisa Capozzi, Executive Director of the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) which operates the farmers’ market.

The names on the small storefronts inside the building will also be familiar to MALT members and those who participate in our Hikes & Tours. McEvoy Olive Oil offers organic, estate-grown extra virgin olive oil, olive oil soap, fruit conserves, and lavender honey. Cowgirl Creamery’s cheese shop features cheeses from Point Reyes Station among other artisanal producers. Hog Island Oysters will open a 25-seat oyster bar by early fall, fulfilling a farm-to-plate dream the owners have had for 10 years. “A wave of production from West Marin is getting a lot of notoriety,” said Terry Sawyer, one of the oyster company owners. “We’re riding that wave.”

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Harvest Day at the Farm

It’s hard to say who has more fun at Harvest Day at the Farm, kids or adults, because there are smiling faces all around at MALT’s annual autumn festival held this year at the Lafranchi family’s Nicasio Valley Farms on Sunday, October 12 from 10 A.M.–4 P.M.

Kids can scramble up haystacks, take a pony ride, do rope tricks, or pick organic pumpkins right from the field while adults go for a hay ride, do the hokey-pokey or taste the delicious food prepared by local folks with ingredients from Marin farms. The feast of food includes oysters, barbecued chicken, local wines, homemade candies, and other treats.

This year we also celebrate the talents and labors of the Mexican community which contributes so much to agriculture in Marin County. We’ll have Mexican food, crafts, and a mariachi band.

As always, local craftspeople will be selling their wares, including handspun wool and handknit sweaters, handwoven items, and clever toy cows, herbal soaps and oils, and much more. Environmental groups will be on hand to describe their efforts to protect Marin’s resources, and the 4-H Club and other local organizations will offer fun activities for kids including leathercraft and corn husk-dollmaking.

Admission to Harvest Day at the Farm is free, thanks to the sponsorship of Nicasio Valley Farms, Manka's Inverness Lodge, Birkenstock, Atwood Ranch, Bank of Petaluma, Clover-Stornetta Farms, United Markets, Lucasfilm Ltd., and McEvoy Ranch. Nicasio Valley Farms is located 1/4 mile north of the Nicasio Village Square. For more information, visit www.malt.org or phone 415-663-1338.

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Jim McIsaac Joins MALT Board

Dairy rancher Jim McIsaac has joined the Board of Directors of Marin Agricultural Land Trust. Jim’s great grandfather first settled in Nicasio in 1881, and his family has continued to ranch there ever since. In 1959, they also began dairying on a 950-acre ranch on Novato Boulevard. Jim and his wife Sue have now raised four children in the house where Jim grew up in the shade of beautiful old oak and bay trees. All of their children have worked on the ranch, doing everything from milking cows to operating equipment. “They’ve been a big help over the years,” said Jim.

MALT’s by-laws require that 50% of the board members shall be agriculturalists. Jim McIsaac fills a position left vacant by the 2002 death of dairywoman Ellen Straus. As a lifelong Marin resident and an experienced agriculturalist, he will be a great help in assessing the impact of non-agricultural development on Marin farmlands and helping determine future easement projects. “Jim McIsaac is a wonderful addition to the board,” noted Nominating Committee head Karin Urquhart. “Recognizing that many, if not most, of Marin ranchers are third, fourth, or fifth-generation stewards of the land, Jim is a perfect example of this.”

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New Strategy for Saving Farmland

MALT’s first-ever capital campaign for easement acquisition was completed successfully in June, 2002, but the need for capital funds is still with us—in fact it’s greater than ever! At present, MALT is working on details of six easement projects, representing nearly 6,000 acres, that will cost an estimated $11 million to complete. Another four projects under consideration would add 3,000 acres at a cost of $6 million.

In many instances, MALT is able to finance easements by securing grants from public sources and providing the balance—generally about one half of the total—from private funds raised in the capital campaign. While this is a cost-effective approach, we must keep filling the private fund reservoir for new opportunities that will inevitably arise.

MALT is currently developing strategies for obtaining enough additional funding over the next five years to ensure that we can respond to every opportunity to preserve Marin’s precious farmland.

One strategy we tested this year was to ask individuals and foundations to contribute to the cost of protecting a specific property. When donors were invited to direct their gifts to preserve that particular ranch, they contributed $450,000 towards the total cost of $542,500. (The balance came from funds donated in the earlier capital campaign.) Contributions ranged from $1,000–$100,000, and all donors expressed strong interest in knowing that their gifts were going to save the property forever.

For more information on making a gift to pay for conservation easement acquisition, contact Bob Berner at 415-663-1158, ext. 1, or rberner@malt.org.

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Whole Foods Community Support Day
Nets $50,000 for MALT

Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) was the recipient of the Whole Foods Markets Community Support Day on Wednesday, June 25, 2003, at 18 stores in the Northern California region. Five percent of all sales went directly to MALT for its work of preserving farmland in Marin County. The effort raised more than $50,000 for MALT.

“Whole Foods Market is committed to giving back to the communities in which we live and work,” said Regional Marketing Coordinator Jolyn Warford. “MALT has been a local leader in the movement to preserve farmland and a model for preservation throughout the United States.”

Proceeds will go to MALT’s Land Fund in memory of Ellen Straus who co-founded MALT and was matriarch of the Straus Family Creamery. She died late last year. Public and organic industry leaders have rallied to honor her, with total contributions in her memory expected to surpass $220,000 by the end of the summer.

“Ellen’s spirit and vision live on both in our continuing efforts to preserve the land that produces food in our community and in the organic dairy products made by her family,” said MALT Executive Director Robert Berner.

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Rancher Bill Straus Mourned

Only seven months after the death of his wife Ellen, dairy rancher Bill Straus passed away this summer at the age of 88. Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1914, Bill’s life paralleled Ellen’s in their escape from the Nazi threat, in their love of the land and of their family, and in the life’s work they pursued together at their farm on the shores of Tomales Bay. As the co-founder of MALT, Ellen was admired for her vision and her tenacity, while Bill was credited for championing environmental causes on his own ranch and in the community and for encouraging Ellen in her many activities. After his wife’s death, Bill called the MALT office to make sure we knew that he was available to help in any way he could.

“Bill was the much quieter and less gregarious one,” said MALT’s Executive Director Bob Berner. “Ellen was on boards, went to meetings, and projected their values. But there is no doubt that Bill was very firmly and deeply a partner in those views.”

The family requests that donations in memory of Bill be made to MALT at Post Office Box 809, Pt. Reyes Station, CA 94956.

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