August 2025
Turning Vision into Reality: Farmland Conservation Projects on the Horizon
We believe that the permanent conservation of farmland is vital to the well-being of both present and future generations in Yolo County. That belief is the foundation of everything we do, and the driving force behind our new, ambitious push to expand our conservation impact.
As we look forward to the next five years, our Strategic Plan sets a bold goal: increase the amount of farmland we have conserved by 30%. That equals over 3,000 acres of productive agricultural land.
This goal is not just aspirational, it’s essential.
Yolo County’s prime farmland, among the most fertile and irreplaceable in California, faces increasing pressure from development and climate change. Now more than ever, it’s time to act with urgency.
To meet this moment, we’ve made a pivotal shift as an organization. We are now actively pursuing state and federal funding opportunities to conserve farmland. For the first time in nearly a decade, we’ve returned to applying for large-scale grant funding to bring projects across the finish line.
This year, under the leadership of our Land Stewardship Director Liz Heckles, we’ve submitted four farmland conservation projects for consideration through the California Department of Conservation’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program. It’s a significant milestone, and a testament to the groundwork we’ve laid to prepare for growth.
The SALC Program provides funding for the permanent protection of farmland that is at risk of being lost to development. Funded by California’s Cap-and-Trade program, SALC’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by preserving open space, supporting sustainable agriculture, and encouraging smart development.
It’s a competitive program with rigorous standards, and we’re proud to say that all four of our projects have advanced to the final round of consideration. This exciting news came in June, after months of preparation, paperwork, and partnership-building.
The next step? Hosting on-site visits at each of the four farm properties and submitting detailed final applications requesting grant funds to purchase conservation easements. The site visits we recently conducted provided an excellent opportunity to connect landowners, YLT staff, and representatives from the Department of Conservation. These visits gave us a chance to walk the land together, assess conditions, hear from landowners about their vision for the future, and see firsthand the farmland, crops, and generational legacies at stake.
In mid-July, we completed and submitted the final applications, realizing nearly a year’s worth of planning, due diligence, valuation and coordination with the project partners.
For us, this moment marks a turning point.
Since 2013, changes in public funding meant fewer grant opportunities for conservation acquisition, and we shifted focus accordingly. In the ten years that followed, we purchased just four grant-funded conservation easements, compared to eleven in the decade prior. But with demand rising and farmland under greater threat than ever before, we’ve recalibrated.
We are committed to pursuing every opportunity to accelerate farmland conservation. And that includes grant funding. Grants like SALC are critical tools. They provide the resources to move from mission to action, to turn ideas into easements, and to permanently protect the farmland that feeds us all.
This new chapter of growth wouldn’t be possible without you. The early phases of these projects, from conversations with landowners to conducting due diligence and preparing grant applications, are made possible by donations from our community. Your support allows us to act quickly when opportunities arise and to thoughtfully shepherd these projects forward.
As we await final funding decisions, we are optimistic – and proud. These four proposed conservation projects would protect vital farmland, sustain local agriculture, support climate resilience, and carry forward the values of land stewardship that define our region.
We look forward to sharing more updates later this year and, we hope, celebrating the news that these conservation projects have been funded. Thank you for believing in this work and for helping us conserve Yolo County’s farmland for today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.
