Pioneering Straus Family Creamery Celebrates 25 Years of Commitment to Family, Farmers, and Food

February 7, 2019

In 1980, Ellen Straus, Albert’s mother, co-founded the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), the first of its kind in the country, which protects Marin’s farmland from urban development. Ellen and a cohort of local environmentalists recognized the importance of land stewardship in the farming community and developed an approach that would strengthen rural families’ chances to remain in agriculture by permanently protecting farmland. The green hills of rural Marin County are a direct result of her work.

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View of Tunnel Hill Ranch in Tomales.

Marin County Approves Funding to Protect Tunnel Hill Ranch in Tomales

April 7, 2026

The Marin County Board of Supervisors voted today to approve a grant through the county’s Measure A Farmland Preservation Grant Program to help permanently protect the 110-acre Tunnel Hill Ranch in Tomales. The Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) will use this grant, combined with private donations, to purchase a $1.1 million agricultural conservation easement on…

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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.

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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.

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