2011 Spring Marin Agricultural Land Trust Newsletter

8/3/2019 2011 Spring Marin Agricultural Land Trust Newsletter

1/8

Spring

There were a hundred people in the room armers, ranchers and

ood producers rom around Marin, spending a day with sta

rom various County ofces and allies rom a range o agricultural

organizations and the conversation was spirited and wide-ranging.

By the end o the Marin Agricultural Summit, a clear picture emerged

Yes, there are tough challenges acing arm amilies in Marin but

theres a diverse and vibrant community working on creative strate-

gies and solutions. Put that together with the Bay Areas love o resh,

local ood, and the uture o arming here looks better than ever.

The Future of Farming in MarinAgSummitpointstostrategiesforsuccess

The summit took place last November

and was organized by UC Cooperative

Extension o Marin with help rom a

dedicated group o local ag experts

and some o the countys nest pro-

ducers and entrepreneurs. Sponsors

included, among others, the County o

Marin, Marin Community Foundation,Agricultural Institute o Marin, Marin

County Farm Bureau, and Marin Agri-

cultural Land Trust (MALT).

Represented segments o Marins agri-

cultural community included dairy

armers, grazing livestock ranchers,

organic row crop armers, shellsh

producers, and value-added proces-

sers such as armstead and artisan

cheese makers.

The County o Marins strong sup-

port o local agriculture was apparent

throughout the summit. Supervisor

Steve Kinsey, a MALT board member

said in his opening remarks, The

Board o Supervisors has identied

agriculture as such an important part

o our cultural, economic and land ushistory that weve made it one o only

ve targeted industries that we are

working hard to protect going orwar

in our county.

The rst summit was held in 1997, an

that gathering resulted in a variety

o innovative initiatives, such as the

Marin Organic Certied Agriculture

program.

continued on page

In This Issue

Marin Agricultural Summit ......................1

MALT Making a Difference ....................2

Friend Your Farmer ....................................3

Bill McKibben on Local Farming.............4

Hikes, Tours & Talks..................................5

MALT Business Memberships ................7

Ranches & Rolling Hills Art Show ..........7

About MALTMarin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT)

is a member-supported nonproft

organization created in 1980 by

a coalition o ranchers and environ-

mentalists to preserve armland in

Marin County, Caliornia.

With fnancial support rom

individuals, public agencies and

private oundations, MALT has

permanently protected nearly hal

o the working arm and ranchland in Marin County. MALT also

encourages public policies that

support and enhance agriculture.

To learn about Marins working

arms and ranches and the ood

they produce, visit malt.org.

Front cover photo Jeff Stump

Back cover photo Michael Woolsey

MALT NewsMarin Agricultural Land Trust


2/8Page 2 Marin Agricultural Land Trus

New Generation Ready to Lead

Ellie Rilla, Community Development

Advisor or UC Cooperative Extension

o Marin, and MALTs newest boardmember, has been working to support

Marins arming community or over 25

years. As a key organizer o both the rst

Ag Summit in 1997 and the recent event,

Ellie sees an evolution taking place.

It was wonderul to look around the

room and see a whole new generation

o armers and ranchers coming to the

oreront, Ellie said. A lot them were

still kids or maybe in college when

we had the rst summit in 1997. Now,

theyre standing up in ront o the room

giving presentations. Its tremendously

important to have this new generation

coming up. With their deep roots in

amily arming traditions and their resh

energy and new ideas, they really are the

uture o agriculture in Marin.

Tough Problems, Fresh Solutions

The Ag Summit provided a orum or

discussing the challenges aced by

Marins arming amilies. It was also

time or envisioning solutions that

can make a dierence. Here are just a

ew o the hot topics:

Inheritance taxes High tax rates

can make it impossible to pass land

on to the next generation. The county

is taking initial steps to reorm tax

codes to help amily arms.

Permit processing This is an ongoing

problem or arming operations, some-

times taking years to clear a project.

Ideas or improvement include adding

sta with agricultural backgrounds to

the county Planning Department.

Grown in Marin label People in

the Bay Area want to buy ood resh

rom local arms. A Grown in Marin

label would help educate customers

and give a marketing boost to Marin

growers and ood producers.

Value-added products One o the

best ways or armers and ranchers to

increase protability is through value-

added products. Several local dairies

have added cheese-making operations,

and some ranchers are selling their

grass-ed bee to local customers rather

than selling to eed lots in the Midwest

Everyone let the summit energized

and committed knowing theres a

lot o work to do to address all these

issues, and ready to keep moving.

New Markets Bring Change

Looking at how agriculture in Marin ha

changed since the rst summit in 1997,

Ellie points out challenges and new

opportunities. Most Marin ranchers

cant survive selling only to commod-

ity markets, she explains. There are a

ew outstanding bee ranchers that can

make a good living this way, but others

need to look or new strategies.

I think weve proved in the last ten

years that a more diversied agri-

culture is the uture or Marin, she

continued. Yes, weve lost dairies

because milk pricing hurts them.

But weve made gains in other areas,

such as pastured chickens and grass-

ed bee, and organic row crops arecoming along. And with new direct

marketing channels such as armers

markets, buying clubs, and wholesale

distribution to Whole Foods, United

Market and Olivers to name a ew,

arm amilies have new ways to make

their businesses work.

Withnewdirectmarketingchannels,farmfamilieshavenewwaystomaketheirbusinesseswork.

Marin Ag Summit Focus Group with farmers, ranchers, producers and ag advisors. Steve Quirt

continued from page 1

Marin Ag Summit:StrategiesforSuccess

MALT MANG A DFFRNC

MALT board member Ellie Rilla, Community

Development Advisor or UC CooperativeExtension, works with armers and ranchersthroughout the county, so she sees the chal-lenges they ace. She also sees solutions thatmake a dierence, and one o those is MALT.

MALTs work to protect land through conser-vation easements purchasing the develop-ment rights to that land has really helpedthe next generation o armers launch newenterprises, Ellie explains.

I interviewed the 26 cheese makers in Mand Sonoma counties, and a third o theare new in the past three years. Most are

farmstead cheesemakers, meaning the cis made on the arm rom their herds mAbout 70% o these new businesses jump-started their transition by selling the devement rights to their land, and in Marin tmeans they worked with MALT. That kisupport or new arm enterprises is anobenet o MALT and another reason whour work is so important.


3/8Preserving Marin County Farmland www.malt.org Page 3

Nancy and Dominic Grossi on their ranch with Bryce, Paige and one of the calves. Michael Woolse

Friend Your FarmerNancyGrossiusessocialmediatobuildcommunity

Ididntevenknowwhatablogwasuntil about a year

ago, says Nancy Grossi with alaugh. Now, her blog site The Wife

of a Dairyman has become daily

reading or a growing audience,

and her Tweets and Facebook

postings are connecting hundreds

o people to her amilys arm.

Nancys husband, Dominic Grossi, is a

ourth generation rancher who serves

as President o the Marin County

Farm Bureau and is also a member

o MALTs Board o Directors. The

Grossis run a dairy operation and

raise naturally ed bee on the rolling

pastures o their 450-acre amily arm

just outside o Novato.

Conversing With Consumers

The blog began when Nancy became

rustrated with what she sees as one-

sided media coverage about the dairy

business. I think dairy armers get a

bad rap with these reports about cowsbeing mistreated, Nancy explains.

There is good and bad in every type

o business. But when people only see

the bad, they may think thats the way

all dairy armers operate. It made me

want to stand up and say, Were not

like that, and none o the armers I

know personally are like that. We all

care or our cows. So my goal with the

blog is to begin a conversation with

consumers and be available or the

public to ask questions.

Nancys blog now eatures dozens o

photo essays about the dairy arm,covering topics rom eeding and cal

care to milk testing and vaccinations.

And with her great sense o humor

and engaging photos, the articles are

un to read.

Recipes and Family StoriesIts not all cow talk on The Wife of a

Dairyman. Nancy oers entertaining

stories and photos about lie with her

kids and a tantalizing section lled

with avorite recipes.

The amily stories are just part o

my lie as a mom, Nancy says. But

I also think it helps people relate to

the blog. Im trying to connect with

a variety o people, not just armers.

I I can connect with someone on a

parenting level, maybe theyll read

my arm posts as well. Or maybe the

recipes are their avorite part, and that

leads them to read about the arm. I

try to nd things that interest readers

and keep them coming back.

Connect and ThriveFor agriculture to survive in Marin,

Nancy thinks that armers need to

connect with people in Bay Area

cities and blogging, Facebook and

Twitter are great ways to make that

happen. People want to connect withtheir armers. Thats why armers

markets are so huge. It gives people

a chance to meet armers and talk

on a personal level. As a dairy and

bee ranch, were not at the armers

market. But social media is a way we

can get a dialog going with consum-

ers and they can learn about how we

run the arm.

To connect with the Grossis, visit

thewieoadairyman.blogspot.com

Socialmediaisawaywecangetadialoggoingwithconsumers.

Marin Agricultural Land Trust saved the followingresources by using 544 pounds of New Leaf Opaque (FSC),made with 100% recycled fiber and 100% post-consumerwaste, processed chlorine free, designated Ancient ForestFriendlyTM and manufactured with electricity that is offsetwith Green-e certified renewable energy certificates.

7 Trees3222 Gallons of Water

2 Million BTUsof Energy

196 Pounds ofSolid Waste

669 Pounds ofGreenhouse Gases



P

reservingfarmlandforfuturegenerations,supporting local ood pro-

duction, caring or wildlie habi-

tats, enjoying the beauty o open

spaces these are reasons we

work to protect agricultural land.

Now, experts like Bill McKibben point

to another reason to ensure land stays

available or local arming. They say

its a key part o the solution to global

climate change.

Local Food as Climate Solution

The Boston Globe called him the na-

tions leading environmentalist. MSN

named him one o the most inuential

men o 2009. And last October, his

350.org group organized the worlds

largest day o climate action with

more than 7,000 rallies in 188 coun-

tries. Bill McKibben, author o a new

book titled Eaarth, is a leading voice

on the need or action on global warm-ing, and hes not bashul about saying

what he thinks.

At a recent MALT sponsored talk, Bill

said the local ood movement is part

o the solution to the climate change

problem. The ood system we have

now is damaging the environment

pretty darned ast. It relies so much on

ossil uel that your ood might as well

be marinated in crude oil. And thats

not sustainable because we cant keep

burning that petroleum and sending

that carbon up into the atmosphere.

So we need a ood system that works

on dierent principles, and its pretty

obvious what those principles will

need to be: We need ood thats raised

with less impact, closer to home, and

employs more people.

Growth of Farmers Markets

Bill is tremendously encouraged by

the growth o armers markets. The

most exciting thing going on in this

country, the one trend thats headed

unambiguously in the right direction,

is our relationship with ood. Farmers

markets have been the astest growing

part o our ood economy or a decade

now. Their sales rise rom 12-15% a

year, and their number double every

ve years or so. Theres no place in

this country now where youre ar rom

a armers market.

Proo o that explosion is in the

most hopeul statistic I know, he

continued. Two years ago, the USDA

released their annual agricultural

census and reported that or the rst

time in 150 years, the number o arm

in America is increasing, not decreas-

ing. I you think about the scope o

American history, thats a really epic

turning point.

Respect for MALTs WorkBill pointed out that you cant have a

local ood system unless you have lo-

cal agricultural land, and he expresse

appreciation or the work MALT

does to protect armland. I have the

honor o serving on the board o our

Adirondack Conservancy and Land

Trust in upstate New York, and I have

some sense o just how much work

this is. Its the real estate arm o the

environmental movement, in a sense.

There are times when I cant gure ou

what all my [climate change] work is

accomplishing, day in and day out, as

we try to change politics and things. So

its nice at the end o the day to be able

to say, Heres a piece o land that would

have been turned into somebodys

subdivision, and instead its a living,

breathing place. Its remarkable work

Weneedfoodthatsraisedwithlessimpact,closertohome,andemploysmorepeople.

Local Farming, Not Global WarmingBillMcKibbenapplaudsprotectionoffarmland

Photo of County Line Harvest (above) Paige GrePhoto (facing page) Michael Wools



Saving the Soil, Saving Ourselves Sunday, March 13Deborah Koons Garcia, the director of Future of Food, will preview and talk about her new lm Sym-phony of the Soil. Well also hear from Marin farmer Janet Brown of Allstar Organics, and soil scientistJeff Creque PhD., an agroecologist and a partner with MALT in the Marin Carbon Project.

Time: 4:00 6:00 pm Place: Cavallo Point, SausalitoCost: $10 MALT members / $15 nonmembers Preregistration is suggested

Lamb Butchering & Cooking Demo with Lunch Saturday, March 19Aaron Gilliam, a butcher at Fatted Calf Charcuterie, demonstrates how to cut lamb into its many deliciousparts. Adam Mali, Executive Chef at Nicks Cove, shows wonderful ways to cook lamb. And Kevin Malo-ney of Fallon Ranch talks about his familys MALT protected sheep ranch. Followed by a delicious lunch!

Time: 11:00 am 2:00 pm Place: Nicks Cove, MarshallCost: $85 MALT members / $105 nonmembers Preregistration is required

Moore Ranch Hike Saturday, March 26Join MALT Stewardship Director Patricia Hickey and rancher Rich Gallagher on a two-mile hike throughthis 1,000-acre beef ranch, and enjoy spectacular views of the Nicasio Valley. This is prime habitat for avariety of grassland birds, with high densities of birds of prey so bring binoculars and cameras!

Time: 10:00 am 1:00 pm Place: Nicasio Difculty: ModerateCost: FREE for MALT members / $15 nonmembers

What to Bring: Water, picnic lunch, hiking shoes, binoculars Preregistration is required

Leiss Ranch Wildower Walk Saturday, April 2Hike over pastures and through the woods where wildowers grow in profusion. Botanist and MALTco-founder Phyllis Faber will help us identify the owers, along with Nancy Chafn and Betty Nunes, whoboth grew up on the property and learned the wildowers from their mother, Gladys Leiss.

Time: 10:00 am 2:00 pm Place: Chileno Valley Difculty: ModerateCost: $30 MALT members / $40 nonmembers

What to Bring: Water, picnic lunch, hiking shoes, camera Preregistration is required

Tresch Dairy Family Tour Saturday, April 9

Join Kathy and Joe Tresch on their 2,100-acre dairy which supplies milk to Straus Organic Creamery.Feed a calf, see the milking parlor, taste Straus products, make butter, and hike one mile across thepastures and along the creek to the heirloom apple orchard and garden.

Time: 1:30 pm 3:30 pm Place: Deer Valley Difculty: Moderate

Cost: Adults $15 MALT members/$20 nonmembersChildren $8 MALT members/$10 nonmembers

What to Bring: Play clothes and shoes, water, snacks Preregistration is required

Savethedate!PinotNoirWineTastingatEscalleWineryonSaturday,June11.AbenetforMALTbytheMarinWinegrowersAssociation

Register online at www.malt.org

orcall415.663.1158

HIS TS TALSspring2011



Mcvoy Olive Ranch Friday, April 1Enjoy the spectacle of 18,000 organic olive trees in bloom at this beautiful ranch. Youll hear how olivesare grown, then walk through the pressing facility to learn how oil is extracted from the olives. Taste theoil and, if you like, purchase items made with this wonderful farm product.

Time: 9:45 am noon Place: Point Reyes/Petaluma Road Difculty: EasCost: $30 MALT members / $40 nonmembers

What to Bring: Water, walking shoes Preregistration is require

arthday 2011 Workday & Celebration Saturday, April 2Join us for Earth Day in West Marin, with a variety of work parties and a celebration of our beautifulearth and community. MALT will sponsor a crew to help with thistle control; visit our website for other

work sites. After working, enjoy a community party with food and music at Tobys Feed Barn.

Time: 9:30 am work party Place: Point Reyes Station Difculty: ModeratDinner & Dancing 4:00 pm 8:00 pm Cost: FREE

What to Bring: Water, picnic lunch, work clothes and shoes Preregistration is require

Windrush Farm Family Day Saturday, May See the lambs, and feed the llamas, cows and goats then look for tadpoles in the pond. Make butterto spread on bread with local homemade jams. Mimi Luebermann raises sheep for wool and spins yarn,and shell teach us about carding and spinning. Make your own wool bracelets!

Time: 10:30 am 1:30 pm Place: Chileno Valley Difculty: EasCost: Adults $20 MALT members / $25 nonmembers

Children $10 / $55 for family of 4 or more

What to Bring: Play-clothes and shoes, water, picnic lunch Preregistration is require

Spaletta Ranch Hike & Tour Sunday, May Jim Spaletta talks about the beef ranch he runs on 1,400 acres of gorgeous grazing land near the PacicOcean. Enjoy the views on a hike with Naturalist David Wimpfheimer, and see wildowers and WesternBluebird, Red-tailed Hawk even a Golden Eagle if were lucky and a variety of waterbirds.

Time: 9:30 am 3:00 pm Place: Valley Ford Difculty: Strenuou

Cost: $30 MALT members / $40 nonmembersWhat to Bring: Water, picnic lunch, hiking shoes, layered clothes Preregistration is require

Straus Dairy & Ranch Members-Only Tour Thursday, May 2Vivien Straus will read selections from her memoir about growing up on the farm. Her brother, Albert, wtalk about the organic dairy operation and the energy systems used at the ranch. Watch the cows beingmilked and enjoy a delicious Straus product tasting and drinks to go with your picnic lunch.

Time: 12:00 pm 4:00 pm Place: Marshall Difculty: EasCost: $50 MALT members only

What to Bring: Water, picnic lunch, hiking shoes, layered clothes Preregistration is require

Register online at www.malt.org

orcall415.663.1158

HIS TS TALSspring2011



AreyouabusinessownerinMarinCounty?I so, you know that

Marin is a great place to live, work

and play. The county is blessedwith a magnicent coastline,

thousands o acres o parks, and a

spectacular agricultural landscape

designed by nature and shaped

by a 150-year tradition o amily

arming.

This living landscape exists today

in part because o MALT and the

thousands o MALT members rom

around the Bay Area who are passion-

ate about local ood, local arms andlocal land. Working together, we have

permanently protected nearly hal o

Marins agricultural land. But thou-

sands o acres are still at risk and our

work continues.

So how can you and your business

make a dierence? By becoming a

MALT Business Member.

As a Business Member, youll help us

preserve armland or the benet o u-ture generations. We have a variety o

membership levels to suit your needs,

and each level oers valuable benets

or you and your business.

We invite you to join MALT and be

part o the eort to protect Marin

Countys working arm and ranch land.

When you do, youll be connected to

an engaged community o members

who care about preserving the beauty

o Marin and its bountiul armland.

To nd out more, visit www.malt.org

or call Deborah White, Director o An-

nual Giving, at 415-663-1158 ext. 312, or

email her at [email protected]. Well be

happy to create a membership pack-

age specically customized or yourbusiness.

MALT Business Memberships

Christin Coy working at Jensen Ranch

Landscape Art Show & SaletobenetMarinAgriculturalLandTrust

May21-22DruidsHall,NicasioFreeAdmission

For one weekend, a select group o artists oer their visions o Marins beautiulopen spaces and working ranches at this exclusive benet sale. This year we

welcome two artists new to Ranches & Rolling Hills: Carol Peek and Tom Killion.

The preview event on Saturday, May 21 will sell out quickly,so watch or your invitation in the mail!

BA F ITSSue Conley Chair, Artisan Cheesemaker,

Point Reyes StationRick Lafranchi Vice-Chair

Businessman, San AnselmoTony Gilbert Secretary, Lawyer, MarshallGail Seneca Treasurer, Writer, InvernessBob Bingham Investment Advisor, San FranciscoPhyllis Faber Co-Founder, Biologist, Mill ValleyMike Gale Rancher, Chileno ValleyJoe Gillach Businessman, Tiburon

Dominic Grossi Dairyman, NovatoChris Kelly Conservationist, LarkspurSteve Kinsey Supervisor, 4th DistrictPeter Martinelli Vegetable Grower, BolinasJim McIsaac Rancher, NovatoMark Pomi Rancher, PetalumaEllie Rilla Ag Community Development Advisor,

NovatoJulie Rossotti Farmer/Rancher, Point ReyesNeil Rudolph Retired Investment Advisor,

Mill ValleyLynn Giacomini Stray Farmstead Cheese Producer,

Point Reyes Station

MALT STAFFRobert Berner Executive DirectorKristine Ball Director of Development

Kelly Brown Major Gifts OfcerSandy Dierks Farm Field Studies EducatorHelen Ferlino Accounting AssociateLynn Figone Administrative AssistantChristine Harvey Database ManagerPatricia Hickey Stewardship DirectorMia Pelletier Volunteer Program ManagerBarbara Petty Director of Finance

& AdministrationHope Ratner Communications

& Technology ManagerJeff Stump Easement Program DirectorRoana Tirado Stewardship AssociateConstance Washburn Education DirectorDeborah White Director of Annual GivingRobin Woodland Director of CommunicationsMichael Woolsey Development Assistant


8/8

Post Ofce Box 809

Point Reyes Station

Caliornia 94956

ETRNSERCEREqESTED

Nonproft Org.US Postage

PADMarin Agricultural

Land Trust

5% for MALT ayat

Whole Foods MarketNovato

Tuesday, March 22

Start making your shoppinglist now then get over to

Whole Foods Market inNovato on March 22.

MALT receives 5% of allsales in the store that day!

And stop by the MALTtable while youre there.Wed love to meet you.

For information about MALTs

Business Member Program, see page 7.

Documents

2011 Spring Marin Agricultural Land Trust Newsletter