San Francisco North Bay Dairy Community Transition Assistance
The funding would be used to restart for organic dairy farms in the North San Francisco Bay that are facing a gutted market for organic milk, environmental conditions severely reducing on-farm forage production, feed cost increases from supply chain bottlenecks and inflation, and lease termination. To simultaneously protect ecosystems and lands where dairy operations exist while avoiding the negative ripple of dairy closures through this community and economy, this project is positioned to catch at-risk dairy operations and provide them a transition path all while conserving and rehabilitating fragile ecosystems. This project achieve stacked benefits for working andnatural landscapes. By keeping organic diaries in operation, albeit at a new location, the ecosystem services of food provisioning and similarly fire fuel reduction through grazing are accomplished. For lands where a lease is terminated and dairying ceased, it is worth noting that they are already part of an open and connected natural landscape providing wildlife habitat and corridors. And there is potential for those lands to be opened for direct public enjoyment and recreation.
“We are deeply grateful for the $1,000,000 that Congressman Huffman secured for North Bay dairies in the final FY ’24 Budget. Agriculture is the backbone of West Marin’s economy, and we are lucky to have such a strong federal champion who shares our vision to protect sustainable agriculture in the North Bay for generations to come,” said County Supervisor Dennis Rodoni.
Awarded: $1,000,000
Location:West Marin County