October 2025
$2.3 Million Secured to Permanently Protect 800 Acres of Local Farmland
Over the past year, we have shared how we are advancing our mission to conserve productive working lands across Yolo County by aligning our efforts with key state funding opportunities. Today, we are proud to announce that YLT, and its partner project, has been awarded $2.3 million to permanently protect 800 acres of farmland on four family-owned farms by purchasing an agricultural conservation easement on their farm.
This investment strengthens Yolo County’s agricultural economy, protects irreplaceable soils, supports wildlife habitat, improves climate resilience, and ensures that farmland remains farmland, forever.
Funding for these projects is made possible through the California Strategic Growth Council’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC), administered by the Department of Conservation. The SALC Program protects farmland at risk of development and is part of California Climate Investments (CCI), which directs Cap-and-Trade dollars to projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen local economies, and improve public health and the environment.
In this funding round, SALC awarded $128 million statewide to support 39 conservation easements, eight fee-title acquisitions, and four planning grants that will protect more than 40,000 acres in 24 counties.
Among the most fertile and productive in California, Yolo County farmland faces increasing pressure from development, water scarcity, and a changing climate. Grants like SALC are essential to slowing farmland loss and sustaining local agriculture.
For YLT, these funds move us from mission to action, allowing us to turn ideas into conservation easements that permanently protect the farmland that feeds our communities.
Each of the four farms carries unique conservation values and aligns with regional conservation priorities. In Winters, a 479-acre fifth-generation rotational row-crop farm will protect prime soils, support agricultural practices that benefit land, air, and water, and reinforce coordinated land use planning, while a nearby 156-acre French prune orchard maintains both working and natural lands. In Esparto, an 87-acre almond orchard provides biodiversity benefits, supports pollinators, sequesters carbon, and contributes to local and regional food security. Lastly, in western Davis, and in partnership with the City of Davis, a 79-acre rotational row-crop farm practices climate-smart farming, protects a wildlife corridor, and connects with nearby conserved lands, magnifying ecological benefits across the landscape.
Together, these projects conserve water resources, and maintain clean air, healthy soils, wildlife habitat, and the scenic open-space characteristics that define Yolo County’s sense of place.
“We are thrilled to receive these grants,” said YLT Executive Director, John Currey, “which will allow us to work with four farm families to protect their farms forever. Each of these farmers brings deep connections to the land and are passionate about permanently protecting the agriculture and enhancing the natural environment on their farms. We appreciate the Department of Conservation and the Strategic Growth Council’s support of farmland protection. The SALC Program is a key part of YLT’s strategy to increase the amount of farmland conservation in Yolo County.”
When these four farms are permanently protected, we will have completed a total of 35 grant-funded conservation easements, and this set of projects raised YLT’s total to seven farms conserved via SALC in the program’s 10-year history. YLT has conserved in total 13,037 acres in Yolo County on 78 farms utilizing diverse funding strategies – either through land donations, grant funding, or direct purchase to satisfy Yolo County’s mitigation requirements.
This preservation of important farmland would not be possible without our donors, partners, and supporters. The financial resources needed to prepare the projects came directly from our donors; their support is key to this success. Every contribution strengthens our shared commitment to protect local farmland for current and future generations
We look forward to sharing more updates on each of these four farms as they become conserved forever. We are thankful for the California Strategic Growth Council @calsgc, California Climate Investments @caclimateinvest and Department of Conservation SALC Program @calconservation for providing funding for these projects.
For more information about conservation easements please email Liz Heckles LHeckles@theyololandtrust.org