Dairies
Market Development - The Cosumnes Project
The Cosumnes is the last remaining undammed river on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, flowing 80 miles to its confluence with the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The absence of dams on the river ensures seasonal flooding along its lower reaches, creating wetlands important to tens of thousands of Pacific Flyway birds that winter in the area, as well as a wide diversity of other plant and animal life. The Cosumnes floodplain is threatened by development, situated between the rapidly expanding urban centers of Sacramento and Stockton.
A number of state and federal agencies, along with The Nature Conservancy California (TNC) have acquired 40,000 acres along the Cosumnes River in Sacramento County. This acreage is very close to the rapidly urbanizing city of Elk Grove, a "bedroom" community of Sacramento. Elk Grove has a median income that is 45% higher than the rest of Sacramento County, and has more than tripled in size since 1980. This development and economic growth is expected to continue over the next decade.
The lands between Elk Grove and the protected acreage are currently in agricultural production as dairy farms that, by California standards, have relatively small herds. Because of their small size and limited influence with milk processors, these dairies are in an increasingly marginal financial position and vulnerable to offers from developers. The number of dairies in Sacramento County has declined from 150 to 50 over the past 15 years, as many of the small, family owned farms have been persuaded to abandon farming through a combination of falling milk prices and rising offers from developers. The environmental integrity of Cosumnes River Preserve will be threatened by encroaching development unless a plan can be designed that will both improve the environmental performance and enhance the economic viability of the surrounding farms.
To protect the lands of the Cosumnes River Preserve, Sustainable Conservation and TNC are working together to help local dairies become financially viable, environmentally sound, and permanently protected from development. Sustainable Conservation will develop and implement strategies to achieve the first two goals, while TNC, in concert with Sustainable Conservation, will execute easements to buy development rights in the area. The revenue generated by the easements sale will be available to the local area farmers and assist in the cost of implementing the plans to achieve economic sustainability and improve environmental performance.