Can cities and farm regions in the Central Valley work together to preserve and protect both of their economies? They can, and the preservation of a 1,682-acre ranch in Yolo County shows how it can be done.
Helped by $5 million in state flood control bond funds and $3 million from the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, the Sacramento Valley Conservancy and the Yolo Land Trust have completed purchase of the Knaggs Ranch north of West Sacramento.
Knaggs Ranch sits directly across the Sacramento River from North Natomas. Keeping this land in agriculture is essential for the protection of most of Sacramento.
If this ranchland were ever developed, its levees would have to be significantly upgraded. That would increase water pressure and flood risk on the levees in Natomas and other communities downstream. It would also divert funds that would be better spent on safeguarding existing urban areas.
Instead, the $11.9 million purchase of Knaggs Ranch – and a conservation easement placed on the land – ensures that it will remain in farming forever. Farmers can continue to grow walnuts, grain and other crops there, while getting help from SAFCA and other agencies.
As part of the deal, SAFCA will assist in maintaining local levees and will work with state agencies on upgrading those levees to a standard suitable for agriculture. And the flood agency will help farmers with relief from flood insurance bills and compensate Yolo County for lost property taxes.
Even with these deal sweeteners, some in Yolo's agricultural community view the land deal with alarm. Critics fear Sacramento has a grand plan to intentionally flood the basin during big storms and take farmland out of production.
Not so. SAFCA and the Sacramento Valley Conservancy have been clear that this is a agricultural easement, not a flood easement. Part of the land cleared in the 1970s will be restored to forest, but the bulk of it will still be farmed.
Indeed, by helping shoulder some of the costs that farmers now face, SAFCA is demonstrating that urban areas can be a partner in preserving a way of life.
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