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Media
Media Contact
Elisabeth Ptak, Associate Director/Director of Outreach
415-663-1158 x302
415-663-1099 (fax)
eptak@malt.org
Marin County Agricultural Statistics
- Average farm size: 600 acres
- Acreage devoted to agriculture: 168,000 (40%
of total county)
- Farm products by percent of total: livestock
products (including milk)(53%); livestock & Poultry (26%);
field, fruit & vegetable crops (15%); aquaculture (5%); nursery
crops (1%)
- Milk production alone: 20% of Bay Area's supply
- Economic value of farms and ranches: $53 million
in direct production and several times that in total economic
contribution
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Preserve Farmland?
Marin's agricultural landscape is an essential part of the character
and environmental quality that make the county such an extraordinary
place to live, work, and visit. As open space, farmland is more
compatible with the conservation of natural resources such as wildlife
habitat and watershed than any alternative private land use. Loss
of agriculture would result in sprawl development that would affect
water quality, visual and aesthetic quality, and biological, archaeological,
and historical resources.
What is our history?
Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) is a member-supported, nonprofit
organization created in 1980 by a coalition of local ranchers and
environmentalists. MALT acts as a private conservation alternative
to the sale, subdivision, or development of farmland by acquiring
conservation easements in voluntary transactions with landowners.
More than 40,500 acres on 63 Marin farms and ranches have been protected
in this manner. MALT also encourages public policies that support
agriculture and promotes public awareness of its importance. As
the first land trust of its kind in the U.S., MALT has become a
model for communities across the nation.
What is an easement?
An agricultural conservation easement is a legal agreement between
a landowner and MALT that prohibits non-agricultural residential
or commercial development, subdivision, and uses or practices which
would be destructive to the agricultural value of the land. The
easement is recorded, and future owners are bound by its terms in
perpetuity. The land remains privately owned and on the tax rolls.
The value of a conservation easement is the difference between the
land's restricted and unrestricted value. For
a complete list of MALT's agricultural conservation easements, download
a PDF here.
What are our funding
sources?
MALT’s conservation easement acquisitions are funded by individual
contributions and by grants from foundations and state and local
government agencies. MALT’s operating budget is supported
by 6,000 members and donors who contribute over $925,000 annually.
How does our stewardship
program work?
MALT monitors and enforces the agricultural easements it holds,
and provides technical assistance to easement landowners on resource
conservation and enhancement.
Executive Director:
Robert Berner
415-663-1158
415-663-1099 (fax)
rberner@malt.org
Fact Sheet
AMAZING BUT TRUE...
More facts about Agriculture in Marin County, California
The fact sheet is currently
in PDF format, which you will need the Acrobat Reader® to view.
If you already have the Reader, click here
to download the Fact Sheet PDF.
Click on this button if
you do not have the Acrobat Reader.
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