Title
a. Adopt Resolutions to:
1.Support the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement proposal to the California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program for the Whalebone Farm;
2.Support the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement proposal to the California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program for the Gabilan Farm;
3.Support the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement proposal to the California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program for the Esperanza Farm;
4.Support the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement proposal to the California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program for the Schween Home Farm;
5.Support the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement proposal to the California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program for the Mothershed Farm; and
b. Support the Ag Land Trust grant funding application to receive grant funds from the State of California Department of Conservation SALC Program to acquire Agricultural Conservation Easements over the Whalebone Farm, Gabilan Farm, Esperanza Farm, Schween Home Farm and Mothershed Farm.
REF170028 -Ag Land Trust Support
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Adopt resolutions to:
1. Support the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement proposal to the California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program for the Whalebone Farm;
2. Support the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement proposal to the California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program for the Gabilan Farm;
3. Support the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement proposal to the California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program for the Esperanza Farm;
4. Support the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement proposal to the California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program for the Schween Home Farm;
5. Support the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement proposal to the California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program for the Mothershed Farm; and
b. Support the Ag Land Trust grant funding application to receive grant funds from the State of California Department of Conservation SALC Program to acquire Agricultural Conservation Easements over the Whalebone Farm, Gabilan Farm, Esperanza Farm, Schween Home Farm and Mothershed Farm.
SUMMARY:
The Ag Land Trust, a private non-profit organization which meets the criteria of Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), has applied to the California Department of Conservation (DoC) for funding from the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Grant Program. The goal of the SALC program is to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the protection of agricultural land via the purchase of agricultural conservation easements or by enacting local strategies that result in permanent agricultural land protection. The Ag Land Trust purpose is to acquire agriculture conservation easements on five (5) farms totaling approximately 752 acres (Attachment A): Whalebone Farm (141 acres) (APN Nos. 414-014-003-000 and 414-014-004-000) (Attachment B); Gabilan Farm (212 acres) (APN No. 149-031-021-000) (Attachment C); Esperanza Farm (130 acres) (APN No. 137-012-002-000) (Attachment D); Schween Home Farm (95 acres) (APN No. 414-013-009) (Attachment E) and Mothershed Farm (175 acres) (APN No. 414-021-002-000) (Attachment F). The Ag Land Trust has requested the Board of Supervisors issue resolutions of support for the Ag Land Trust to include in their application to the DoC for the grant funds.
The Ag Land Trust has applied to the DoC for grant funds to acquire Agricultural Conservation Easements (ACE) on prime Farmlands that may be subject to conversion pressures. The Ag Land Trust seeks to acquire easements over five (5) farms: Whalebone Farm, which consists of two (2) parcels totaling 141 acres, situated at the intersection of Cooper Road and Nashua Road, ½ mile east of the city limits of the City of Marina (APN Nos. 414-014-003-000 and 414-014-004-000), the Gabilan Farm (APN No. 149-031-021-000) which consists of a 212 acre parcel situated at the intersection of Old Stage Road and Alisal Road, approximately 4 miles east of the City of Salinas, the Esperanza Farm (APN No. 137-012-002-000) which consists of a 130 acre parcel located south of the intersection of Old Stage Road and Alisal Road, approximately 3.9 miles east of the City of Salinas, the Schween Home Farm (APN No. 414-013-009) which consists of a 95 acre parcel situated on the north side of Blanco Road between Cooper Road and Armstrong Road, west of the intersection of Cooper and Nashua Road, approximately 3.8 miles west of the City of Salinas and Mothershed Farm (APN No. 414-021-002-000) which consists of a 175 acre parcel situated at the intersection of Blanco and Cooper Road, ½ mile east of the City limits of Marina. The Ag Land Trust is requesting Resolutions of Support from the Board to include in their application for SALC grant funding from the DoC for the purpose of acquiring Agricultural Conservation Easements over the subject five (5) farms totaling +/- 752 acres.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office and the Resource Management Agency - Planning Department and the Ag Land Trust collaborated in the completion of the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Land Mitigation Program and Agricultural Conservation Easement Project Grant Application.
FINANCING:
There is no negative impact to the General Fund as a result of supporting the Ag Land Trust Agricultural Conservation Easement Project Grant Application.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
In accordance with General Plan Policy GS-6.1, in recognition of the limitations of using Williamson Act contracts to preserve farmlands, efforts by landowners to acquire the benefits derived by donating development rights to a duly established Farmland Trust or other organization which meets the criteria of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code shall be encouraged. Through the SALC Grant program, protection of these valuable farmlands is further achieved to increase the agricultural economic viability of Monterey County.
Check the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives:
_X_ Economic Development
___ Administration
___ Health & Human Services
___ Infrastructure
___ Public Safety
Prepared by: Jacqueline R. Onciano, RMA Chief of Planning
Approved by: Carl P. Holm, AICP, RMA-Director
The following attachments are on file with the Clerk of the Board:
Attachment A -Vicinity Maps
Attachment B - Resolution of Support for Whalebone Farm
Attachment C - Resolution of Support for Gabilan Farm
Attachment D - Resolution of Support for Esperanza Farm
Attachment E - Resolution of Support for Schween Home Farm
Attachment F - Resolution of Support for Mothershed Farm
cc: Front Counter Copy; Carl Holm; John Dugan, Jacqueline R. Onciano; Nadia Amador; Christina McGinnis, Agricultural Commissioner’s Office; Mary Grace Perry, Office of the County Counsel; Gregg MacFarlane, Senior Agricultural Appraiser, Assessor-Recorder’s Office; Sherwood Darington, Ag Land Trust; Whalebone Farm; Gabilan Farm; Esperanza Farm; Schween Home Farm; Mothershed Farm; The Open Monterey Project (Molly Erickson); LandWatch (Michael DeLapa, Executive Director); John H. Farrow; Janet Brennan; Project File REF170028