California Senate Bill Takes Aim at Saving Farmlands

A bill before the California state legislature would help pay landowners who promise to keep their land in farming.  Amid a push by local leaders to conserve farmland and open spaces in the Bay Area from future development, state senator David Cortese has introduced a bill that would shore up funding to preserve agricultural land throughout the state despite the measure’s uncertain financial outlook.  The bill, SB 462, would bolster an existing program called the California Farmland Conservancy Program, which supports agricultural conservation and sustainable land management.  If enacted into law, the bill would offer an annual $20 million infusion of funds dedicated specifically to conservation easements.

Under that system, the landowner receives payment in exchange for permanently limiting their land to agricultural use, even if it changes owners. The best part is that it is dollars going directly into agricultural preservation.

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