Marin’s climate action plan to stress benefits of carbon farming Point Reyes Light September 2, 2020 Dr. Jonathan Wachter, a soil scientist for the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, said his preliminary analysis showed that utilizing available lands for compost application alone could sequester 104,069 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. That by itself would balance out the contribution that agriculture makes to emissions in Marin. Read Article
Toward a culture of sustainable food production Point Reyes Light July 8, 2020 It is possible to make locally grown food abundant to all segments of our community, despite the distribution challenges that have plagued us while we shelter in place and those that existed long before the pandemic. Ellen Straus and Phyllis Faber thought about this decades ago when creating the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. Read Article
MALT returns Measure A funds for purchase of Hicks Valley easement Point Reyes Light June 3, 2020 The Marin Agricultural Land Trust has returned $833,250 it was awarded three years ago from the county’s Measure A funds to purchase an agricultural conservation easement for a Hicks Valley ranch. Read Article
Ranchers find allies in conservationists Marin Independent Journal May 13, 2020 Representatives from the Marin Conservation League, the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, the Marin Resource Conservation District and the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin were among those who wrote in favor of the continuation of ranching, a legacy that dates back to the mid-1800s. The groups supported a proposal that the park service highlighted as… Read Article
Editorial: Point Reyes ranches are important to Marin’s agricultural economy Marin Independent Journal May 7, 2020 Even with the accomplishments of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, local ranchlands have been lost to former properties that have shifted away from active agriculture. Read Article
Farms, ranches pivot sales to consumers Point Reyes Light April 29, 2020 Molly Meyerson, the owner of Little Wing Farm in Point Reyes Station, said she can’t keep her farm stand stocked. Though it was previously her primary outlet, now she is preparing 40 boxes a week on a first-come, first-served basis to meet the desire for more security. Read Article
A Time to Plant Novato Community Television April 28, 2020 A celebration of 50 years of Earth Day with Marin Agricultural Land Trust at Toluma Farms and Tomales Farmstead Creamery. Read Article
Marin farm sector struggles as virus cripples food services Marin Independent Journal April 26, 2020 Marin ranchers and farmers who supplied restaurants before the coronavirus pandemic are scrambling to find new buyers during the crisis. Read Article
Coronavirus hits Bay Area’s artisan cheese industry hard San Francisco Chronicle April 14, 2020 Bay Area artisan cheese makers are making tough decisions right now. Some are laying off staff. Others are switching up the cheeses they produce, hoping to wait out the coronavirus in the aging room. That’s because just about all of California’s boutique cheese makers have seen their sales drop since state and local shelter-in-place orders… Read Article
Local Sourcing Dodges COVID-19 Challenges To Meat Supply Chain KPIX5, CBS SF Bay Area April 13, 2020 John Ramos reports on how local butcher shops and farms are maintaining supply chains while large factory processing plants deal with shutdowns Read Article