July 2024
More than 20 artists participating in the Art & Ag Program visited Conservation Easement #60, known as the Martinez Orchard, for plein air painting and photography inspired by the farmland. Situated on the outskirts of Winters, the artists were welcomed to the conserved farm by warm summer weather, clear blue skies and stunning vistas of the Northern Coast Range mountains, alongside picturesque rows of vineyards and walnut trees.
Art & Ag started in 2006 by Yolo Arts as a program to connect artists with the beautiful farmland in Yolo County. The Art and Ag Project is a nationally recognized program that cultivates a dialogue between artists, farmers, and the community to raise awareness about the importance of preserving farmlands and the visual arts in Yolo County.
Each month from February to October, the Art & Ag program visits a farm in Yolo County for two days, a Thursday and Saturday. The invited artists can meet the farm owner and receive exclusive access to the farmland for plein-air painting or photography. In the Fall, artists are invited to exhibit their Art & Ag inspired artwork at Yolo Art’s annual Art Farm Gala. Guests attending Art Farm Gala have the chance to take home these agriculturally inspired works of art through the silent auction or art harvest activity.
Since its inception, Yolo Land Trust has collaborated with Yolo Arts to organize farm visits for artists to conserved farms. This partnership aims to connect the community with YLT’s protected lands, fostering appreciation and understanding for the importance of farmland conservation. This is crucial for maintaining Yolo County’s agricultural heritage and ensuring a sustainable future. Recently, artists visited a third-generation farm cultivating wine grapes and walnuts, which has been under conservation for a decade.
In October of 2014, Yolo Land Trust partnered with local landowners, Dan Martinez and Santiago Moreno of Putah Creek Land Co., to place a conservation easement on their farmland. Conservation Easement #60 for the land trust (out of 78 total farms conserved), Martinez Orchard, is located northwest of the City of Winters and is a 44-acre parcel of farmland that grows organic walnuts and wine grapes. The conserved land is situated within a larger existing farmland area, with a total of 320-acres being farmed.
The property was originally purchased in 2000 by Putah Creek Land Co., and at that time the land was pastureland. Shortly after purchase, a change was made to convert to irrigated land to grow walnut and wine grapes to suit the Martinez family’s farming business needs. The Martinez family has farmed in the area for three generations, immigrating to Winters in the 1930’s. The walnuts are grown for a processor out of Vina and the grapes, primarily Petite Sirah variety, are grown for Berryessa Gap Winery.
The agricultural value of this property was one of significant importance for conservation due to its proximity to the urban border and its impact on future development of the City of Winters. Preserving this land not only creates a vital green space buffer for the city but also complements another conserved farm nearby—a 113-acre olive and prune orchard protected since 2000. Together, these parcels form a contiguous block of conserved farmland, essential for preserving ecological balance, promoting sustainable land use practices, and safeguarding the long-term health and resilience of local agriculture.
John Currey, Executive Director of YLT, emphasizes the high conservation value of Martinez Orchard. “The open, rural character of the property, with its productive farmland, provides scenic views from the county roads northwest of Winters,” explains Currey. “The property serves to protect the character of the small community of Winters by preventing expansion of development to the northwest and provides connectivity with other adjacent and nearby parcels that have been designated as open space. The 44-acre parcel, combined with adjacent and nearby open space lands, also supports birds and other wildlife that utilize farmland habitat.”
By collaborating with Yolo Arts and the Art & Ag Program, YLT fosters a deeper connection between the community and the land, promoting appreciation for the agricultural heritage that defines Yolo County. YLT looks forward to viewing the wonderful collection of art that artists from this year’s Art & Ag Program create when it’s on display at Art Farm Gala on Saturday October 5.
