Stewardship Archives

Remembering Rick Lafranchi

April 16, 2026

We are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of Rick Lafranchi, a beloved member of the Lafranchi family of Nicasio and a tireless ambassador for West Marin agriculture. Our hearts go out to his wife Debby, his siblings Randy, Scott, Jan, Diane, and Kimberly, his children and grandchildren, and to everyone who had the privilege…

MALT Awards $400,000 in the Fifth Round of Its Small Grants Program

April 15, 2026

Marin agriculture is in transition. The pressures are real and immediate: rising costs, limited land access, housing for workers, a next generation trying to find its footing — all against the backdrop of a changing climate that is reshaping what it means to farm and ranch here. MALT’s small grants program is one part of…

Jennifer Beretta at the Dolcini Jersey Dairy, Marin County.

Jennifer Beretta: What It Takes To Keep A Dairy Thriving

February 25, 2026

Jennifer Beretta can’t always remember her phone number, but she remembers cow numbers from 15 years ago. That kind of commitment—to heritage, to family, to land—is what keeps agriculture thriving in Marin County.

Moira Kuhn of Marin Roots Farm stands beside a weathered Kubota tractor in a field at the MALT-protected Volpi Ranch in Marin County.

Moira Kuhn: Building a Farm on Borrowed Ground

February 23, 2026

Moira Kuhn has farmed Marin County for over two decades without ever owning the land—and what’s at stake if farmers like her can’t stay.

Rolling green hills of Spring Valley Ranch at sunset, with cattle grazing in the valley below and the Soulajule Reservoir winding through the landscape, surrounded by protected Marin County ranchland.

How to Read a Ranch: What One Photograph Tells Us

February 19, 2026

What 1,179 acres of protected farmland actually does — and why it matters

Dayna Ghirardelli leans against wooden corral rails at Duncan Ranch, wearing a black pullover and jeans, with cattle handling equipment and green pastures visible behind her

Dayna Ghirardelli: One Woman’s Fight for North Bay Farms

February 11, 2026

Dayna Ghirardelli led the coalition that defeated Measure J by 85%, protecting Sonoma County’s family farms from a ballot measure that threatened to shut down ranching operations across the North Bay.

Marissa Silva carries a bale of hay to feed black Angus cattle on a foggy morning at Marshall Home Ranch in West Marin, with green pastures visible in the background.

Marshall Home Ranch: Transforming a Historic California Dairy

February 9, 2026

The morning sun catches the gleam of solar panels mounted on the barn roof at Marshall Home Ranch. Standing in the yard of her family’s ranch—the same view her great-grandparents once held—Marissa Silva carries a quiet confidence, someone grounded in place, in a tradition of self-reliance, and in herself. Her family has been ranching this…

Reviving the Truttman Ranch, Protecting Public Grasslands

January 7, 2026

When Levi McIsaac shakes your hand, you feel it—the confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are and where you fit. Fifth-generation Marin County rancher. National Park Service (NPS) road crew worker. Someone who understands that his family’s future is inseparable from the health of the landscape they steward. That confidence matters now more…