To preserve the almonds and grapes that grow along the San Joaquin River near Fresno, Calif., families such as the Wattenbargers have sold their development rights and entered a conservation easement, according to this story in the Fresno Bee.
Farmgirl Anna Wattenbarger says it’s been her dream to keep the family ranch going for her son and grandchildren. The Wattenbargers were paid a grand $585,000 from the California Farmland Conservancy Program to preserve their 200-plus years for agricultural purposes for an indefinite period.
In a release about the easement, Anna says about the land and her farming husband Bill, “We’ve grown all kinds of crops on the land – at various times, cotton, corn, sugar beets, alfalfa and other things. We’ve slowly but surely moved into permanent crops. Bill is semi-retired now. He only works when he wants to. We’re just very happy to know that future generations will be able to farm here, too.”
One conservation trust director is quoted in the Bee saying that it is part of the program’s “mission to promote agricultural uses that are consistent with protecting the river. I think you’re already seeing the pressure of urbanization spilling into agricultural areas, so we hope more people become interested in conservation easements.”
Here’s another story, in the Madera Tribune, about bees on the Wattenbargers’ almond ranch.
Virtual Farmgirl 