Interested in farming or ranching on county owned land? Here's the scoop…

On March 10, 2015, UCCE and Sonoma County Ag Preservation and Open Space District presented the final 2 phases (farming and grazing properties) of “County Lands for Food Production Report” to the County Board of Supervisors, and it was approved unanimously.

Eighteen properties, owned by various county agencies (see below) were assessed. It's worth your time to read through this document to see what lands are out there and whether they may be suitable for you!

The Executive Summary of that report states: “The primary reason that few of the vacant lands owned by County departments are suitable for farming or grazing is that most of the appropriate County properties already support such uses. Over 4,500 acres owned by Regional Parks, SCAPOSD and General Services are currently leased to local farmers and ranchers and are an important part of Sonoma County's local food system. Almost all of these properties had water and fencing existing when County departments purchased them. In one case, the SCAPOSD paid to have a water well drilled, and several other cases the land is leased to an adjacent farmer or rancher who provides water from his or her own property.

As outlined in the Assessment of County Land for Food Production Report, Phase 2, it's recommended that, when possible, future County land acquisitions have the necessary infrastructure and other attributes compatible with agricultural uses. These include considering the following features: water, fencing, access, power, minimal parcel size for agriculture, and biotic issues.”

Each property in the report lists the county department that owns the land, so if you want more information, you must contact them directly.

County Lands for Food Production Report

Contacts are:

• Sonoma County Regional Parks: Bert Whitaker, Park Manager; Bert.Whitaker@sonoma-county.org ; 565-2041
• Sonoma County Water Agency: Mike Thompson; Michael.Thompson@scwa.ca.gov; 526-5370
• Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District: Kathleen Marsh; Kathleen.Marsh@sonoma-county.org; 565-7360
• Sonoma County General Services: Ed Buonaccorsi - Ed.Buonaccorsi@sonoma-county.org; 565-2550