POST Marks Farmland Program Milestones Along San Mateo Coastside

PALO ALTO, Calif.—June 17, 2026—POST (Peninsula Open Space Trust) today announced the completion of permanent farmworker housing at Fifth Crow Farm and the transfer of R&R Fresh Farms to longtime tenant José Ramirez and his family. These two milestones on the 900-acre Butano Farms property that POST protected in 2012 mark a new chapter in POST’s decades-long program to keep working farms sustainable and thriving on the San Mateo County coast. 

“POST’s farmland program was created on the belief that protecting agricultural land is only the first step,” said Laura Silvestri, POST’s senior farmland project manager. “Lasting protection also means investing in farm infrastructure like water resources, housing and the pathways to ownership that help farming families build a viable future. San Mateo County has lost more than a third of its farmland in a generation. Every milestone we reach is proof that this trend can be reversed and that Coastside farms can thrive when they have the right support.”

Since launching the Farmland Futures Initiative fundraising campaign in 2015, POST has protected 16 farms and nearly 2,000 acres of farm and grazing land in San Mateo County.

Farmworker Housing Completed at Fifth Crow Farm

Part of POST’s work in making farming sustainable is investing in critical infrastructure. Through a partnership with San Mateo County’s Farm Labor Housing Loan Program and Fifth Crow Farm, construction of four two-bedroom units of permanent housing for farmworkers has been completed on the POST-owned property leased by Fifth Crow Farm. The project was funded in part via a $900,000 no-interest forgivable loan from the County, with additional direct investments from Fifth Crow Farm and POST.

Built to current California codes, the housing incorporates a range of climate-friendly features, including solar, energy-efficient systems and water-efficient fixtures, providing residents with durable, low-cost homes designed for the long term. The units are now occupied by Fifth Crow Farm’s current employees. Providing on-farm housing has proven to be a significant factor in worker retention for farms, helping Fifth Crow maintain a stable, experienced team year-round.

“We built Fifth Crow Farm around the belief that if you want people to do the right thing for the land, you have to do right by the people working it,” said Teresa Kurtak, co-owner of Fifth Crow Farm. “Having safe, permanent housing on the farm means our team can put down roots here the same way we have. That kind of stability is what makes a farm last. We are deeply grateful to POST and San Mateo County for understanding that and investing in it alongside us.”

The new housing is the latest in a series of investments POST has made at Fifth Crow Farm. In an earlier project, POST worked with the San Mateo Resource Conservation District to construct a 16-acre-foot reservoir that provides a reliable water supply for the farm without drawing from the adjacent creek during dry summer months when fish and wildlife depend on it most.

This newly completed housing project brings the total number of workers and family members housed across POST-protected working lands close to 50 and represents a combined public-private investment of more than $2.9 million since 2015. Other projects include housing at Blue House Farm, R&R Fresh Farms and Cloverdale Ranch.

R&R Fresh Farms Transferred to José Ramirez Family 

POST has completed the transfer of 27 acres of farmland at R&R Fresh Farms in Pescadero to José Ramirez and his family. José has leased and farmed this land since POST acquired 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 course of more than a decade, POST invested in the property alongside José: adding farmworker housing, building a reservoir, improving irrigation and converting a dilapidated tin shed into a market-style farmstand that has become a beloved local destination. The property is now permanently protected by an agricultural conservation easement, keeping it in farming production in perpetuity and making ownership more affordable for the family. Ramirez also received business planning support from Kitchen Table Advisors and La Cultiva, both organizations that work with under-resourced farmers and ranchers.

Additional Farmland Milestones 

POST’s Farmland Futures Initiative continues to generate progress across the area. Additional recent developments include:

• North Cowell property: POST is purchasing an updated agricultural conservation easement that will make long-term ownership more affordable for the next generation to continue a family farming legacy at Giusti Farms that began in 1949.
• Pebble Beach Farm: Farmer Parker Weiss and his team began a new lease that will help them to revive heirloom artichoke production on the San Mateo coast, a crop with deep roots in the region’s agricultural identity. 
• Johnston Ranch: POST, San Mateo Resource Conservation District and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District are breaking ground this summer on an expanded reservoir at Johnston Ranch, improving on-farm water storage and reducing dependence on surface water and creek withdrawals during critical dry-season months.

Supporting long-term sustainable farming takes a full network of partners. POST’s farmland program has been complemented by the important work of Kitchen Table Advisors, La Cultiva, the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District, California Farmlink and many others.

*  *  *

About Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) 

POST protects open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. As a private nonprofit land trust, POST has been responsible for saving over 97,000 acres since its founding in 1977. POST works with private landowners and public agencies connect people and nature. Visit openspacetrust.org for more information.