Along the San Mateo County coast, farmland tells a story of resilience: of people, place, and possibility. POST’s ongoing work protecting and caring for them shows the magnitude of what we can accomplish through dedication and collaboration. By reversing the trend of disappearing farmland, we are strengthening local food production, supporting farmers, and reducing stress on our delicate ecosystems. Every protected acre is a step toward a thriving, sustainable future.
Joining Forces with Farmers
But safeguarding working land doesn’t stop when we purchase it; joining forces with farmers to improve infrastructure is what makes protection last. POST offers long-term leases to farmers and invests in projects that support their operations.
Collaborating with farm tenants and other essential partners, we:
- rehabilitate barns and farmstands,
- manage vegetation for fire control,
- maintain roads,
- fix fences,
- drill wells,
- build reservoirs and farmworker housing, and
- restore the land to support agriculture, native plants, and wildlife.
We often aim to sell the land to the farmers after protecting it with an agricultural conservation easement that keeps it in production forever, prevents future development, and makes the land more affordable for farmers.
TWO INCREDIBLE MILESTONES
Recently, we reached incredible milestones with two of our farm partners who operate on POST-protected Butano Farms.
In our many years of working to protect the region’s agriculture, we have learned that we must invest in both infrastructure and the land itself. To be successful and self-sustaining, an agricultural operation requires housing for farmworkers, ecologically responsible water resources, and more. It’s getting harder and harder for farmers to do this on their own. That’s why POST is here.
Fifth Crow Farms
Providing for the Community
In collaboration with Fifth Crow Farm and San Mateo County, we constructed housing that will provide four new two-bedroom units for farmworkers and their families. Without safe and affordable nearby housing for their vital workers, it is difficult for farms to establish a sustainable business. This is only the latest improvement project at Fifth Crow Farm. Not long ago, we worked with the San Mateo Resource Conservation District to construct a 16-acre-foot reservoir to provide water for the farm. This ensures a reliable water supply without drawing from the nearby creek, especially during drier months when wildlife need it the most. We are thrilled to have played a part in supporting this farm and its surrounding environment, and we look forward to a thriving future for the land, the creek, and the people who work so hard to keep the farm up and running.
Everyone can enjoy Fifth Crow Farm’s organic, local food year-round at farmers’ markets or between early May and late November by subscribing to their community-supported agriculture (CSA) program at FifthCrowFarm.com.
R&R Fresh Farms
Celebrating Permanent Roots
We are delighted to share that we’re in the final stages of transferring 27 acres of farmland to Jose Ramirez’s family at R&R Fresh Farms. Jose has leased land from POST since we purchased Butano Farms in 2012 and is among the few first-generation Mexican-Americans to own and operate a farm on the San Mateo County coast. Over the last 13 years, POST worked with Jose to improve the land’s infrastructure, setting the farm up for success. We added farmworker housing, built a reservoir and improved irrigation, and converted a dilapidated tin shed into a market-style farmstand, among other projects. Importantly, David Mancera of La Cultiva has provided key transaction advising to Jose and his family throughout the transfer process. With an agricultural conservation easement in place and business support from Kitchen Table Advisors, an organization that works with under-resourced farmers and ranchers, Jose will soon have a permanent home base.
Visit R&R Fresh Farms, right across the street from Pescadero’s quaint downtown area. The farmstand is open year-round, and you can pick your own berries starting in June.
When asked what motivates him to succeed, Jose’s response was simple: “The only thing I ask for is opportunity.” We are honored to have played a role in this opportunity and look forward to seeing the ways he will continue to steward this marvelous farmland.
WHEN CONSERVATION & AGRICULTURE GROW TOGETHER
These milestones are more than individual successes. They’re a glimpse of what’s possible when conservation and agriculture grow together. By investing in farmers and the land they steward, we’re helping build a more resilient coast where local food systems, healthy ecosystems, and vibrant communities can flourish side by side.
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About Post
Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) protects open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. Since its founding in 1977, POST has been responsible for saving more than 97,000 acres as permanently protected land in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. Learn more
