Press Release

MALT Awards $400,000 to 12 Marin Farms and Ranches in Fifth Small Grants Round

April 15, 2026

POINT REYES STATION, Calif. — The Marin Agricultural Land Trust today announced $400,000 in grants to 12 farms and ranches across Marin County through the fifth round of its small grants program. The awards leverage a combined $542,000 in total project investments spanning water infrastructure, creek corridor protection, virtual fencing technology, pasture restoration, and farm diversification.

The funded projects reach from the Olema Valley and West Marin coast to Chileno Valley, Nicasio, Lucas Valley, Novato, and San Geronimo Valley, the program’s broadest geographic distribution to date. Each project was selected through a competitive process led by an independent review committee, ensuring that awards reflect merit and impact on the ground. Five recipients qualify as beginning farmers or ranchers. Three operations are women-owned or women-led. Two are socially disadvantaged producers. Five of the 12 recipients farm land with no MALT conservation easement.

“These grants reflect where Marin agriculture is right now,” said Lily Verdone, MALT’s Executive Director. “They’re targeted investments that help existing operations adapt while creating real openings for the next generation.”

For the first time, the program is funding two virtual fencing projects, GPS-enabled collar technology that allows ranchers to manage cattle movement and rotational grazing without physical barriers, at two different scales and on two very different operations. The technology, now being adopted by ranchers across the American West, enables more precise grazing, reduces infrastructure costs, and opens new possibilities for beginning operators who can’t justify major fencing investment. One grantee and the National Park Service co-designed a project together on public lands, demonstrating how MALT’s private nonprofit investment can advance conservation outcomes on federally managed land.

A new generation of operators, beginning ranchers, women-led businesses, and next-gen farmers building operations on leased land make up nearly half the funded projects.

Across the round, water infrastructure investments are unlocking land that hasn’t been fully productive in years, in some cases decades. Taken together, the 12 projects are a window into what Marin agriculture is becoming.

“Each grant round adds another layer,” said Lauren Faccinto, MALT’s Director of Conservation Programs. ” Water systems get built, fencing follows, rotational grazing becomes possible, land that had gone ungrazed is activated. We’re watching that compounding impact happen in real time.”

Full project descriptions and grant amounts are available here.

Grant agreements are expected to be finalized in April 2026, with most projects scheduled for implementation by the end of the year. 

About MALT

The Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) works every day to protect and steward Marin’s farmland to ensure the viability of agriculture and a healthy environment, now and forever. Since 1980, MALT has protected nearly 59,000 acres, about half of Marin’s privately owned productive agricultural land, on 98 farms and ranches through conservation easements. MALT’s stewardship programs provide financial and technical support to help Marin’s farmers and ranchers implement climate-smart practices, improve water quality, and build long-term agricultural viability.

Photos and b-roll available.

MALT is available to coordinate reporter site visits with grant recipients during the 2026 field season.

Media Contact: Peter Fugazzotto, pfugazzotto@malt.org