Looking for a story angle that would interest your readers? Talk with us about agriculture stewardship in Marin County. Or let us introduce you to the farmers, ranchers and producers so they can tell you first-hand about the work they do every day.
To get started, contact us and check back from time to time for fresh ideas and seasonal story leads below.
Story Ideas:
Historic $100 Million Milestone Reached for Agricultural Land Conservation in Marin County
Since our founding in 1980, Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) has been working with local landowners to acquire voluntary agricultural conservation easements. These easements protect the land’s conservation value while also requiring that it remains in agricultural production. To date, MALT has secured 93 easements totaling more than 55,700 acres of farm and ranchland—the backbone of Marin’s agricultural economy.
We have now secured funding to protect two additional ranches with agricultural conservation easements and, once complete, MALT and our many partners will surpass $100 million invested in agricultural land conservation within Marin County.
The wide-ranging benefits of protecting agricultural land include:
- Food Security: By conserving these working lands we have ensured this landscape continues to produce milk, cheese, butter, meats, vegetables, and so much more—the fruit of more than 40 years of dutiful land conservation.
- Economic Strength: In 2022, the estimated total gross value of Marin County’s agricultural production was $94 million, much of which was grown or raised on MALT-protected land.
- Climate Resilience: Through this land’s careful stewardship, we can capture planet-warming greenhouse gasses and help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
- Protecting Biodiversity: With these two additional ranches protected, we will soon have conserved 26,305 acres of our region’s critical habitat linkages. Protecting and stewarding these pathways for life is essential as the climate changes and the natural resilience of our ecosystems continues to be tested.
First Generation Farmers: The Challenges and the Hopes
According to the American Farmland Trust, forty percent of American farmland is owned by people 65 and older, and the number of burgeoning farmers and ranchers keeps falling.
The new generation of farmers faces significant challenges: access to land, capital and investments for operations, and technical training and marketing support.
Despite these challenges, young farmers and ranchers are bringing a spirit of innovation and sustainability to their businesses whilecreating the blueprint for future generations.
Innovative new farmers in Marin County agriculture include biodiversity advocates, dairy farmers and cheesemakers, cattle ranchers, natural fiber producers, egg purveyors, and growers of row crops. Let us introduce you to some of them.
Agricultural Women of Marin County
The US Department of Agriculture Statistics Service’s most recent census figures show many more women are working in agriculture than in all 29 of its previous counts. Of course, women have always farmed. It’s just that now that they are more visible.
The trend is evident in Marin County, Calif., where women founded the agricultural land trust movement 42 years ago, and where their biological — and spiritual — descendants continue to influence the farm economy of the region.
Standout women in Marin County agriculture include activists, land stewards and advisors, dairy farmers and cheesemakers, cattle ranchers, natural fiber producers, egg purveyors, growers of row crops, and agritourism promoters. Let us introduce you to some of them.
Farming with Nature in Mind
Sustainable farming, as practiced in Marin County, could be a model for strengthening the American food system and the natural resources on which we all depend. Many Marin ranchers and farmers are demonstrating how agriculture is being done in ways that align with the land, water and air and build towards the future.
Farmers and ranchers with sustainable practices in Marin are available to show you how they are working to:
- Mitigate greenhouse gasses released into the air
- Keep the watershed clean and the use of water judicious
- Return carbon to the soil and prevent erosion
- Promote and preserve wildlife habitat
- Use less – or alternative sources of — energy
- Treat livestock humanely and promote responsible grazing to prevent wildfire
The Perfect Weekend Getaway: Historic Agricultural West Marin
San Francisco and Bay Area residents planning their next special getaway need to look no further than their own backyards: West Marin offers stunning protected landscapes, amazing foods, and recreational abundance.
Driving their car or riding their bikes, visitors will revel in the bucolic and wild vistas, whether part of MALT’s 55,500-acre plus network of protected agricultural land or the stunning Point Reyes National Seashore. Visitors can get started with a blog post focusing on Highway 1 and the best places to stop in Marin County.
Visitors come from the landscape and stay for the food. Just-picked fruits and vegetables, grass-grazed beef and lamb, Tomales Bay shellfish, farm-fresh eggs, specialty cheeses, sweet honey and fragrant flowers are just a few examples of the bounty of seasonal choices from Marin County farmers and producers ready to receive travelers and area shoppers. MALT’s Buy Local guide points visitors to the best the region has to offer.
From five easy hikes in Marin County to the best dog beaches, West Marin offers amazing opportunities to get out into nature and recharge.