Conservation Easement Purchased on The Natural Trading Company Farm Property

National and international trends are shaping the agriculture industry. Escalating grocery bills and energy prices are leaving many consumers searching for local, low-cost alternatives. Farmers’ markets are as popular as ever as consumers are seeking cheaper and healthier fresh produce. “Buy Local” is a common refrain as more and more people view the local farm as a valuable asset and less transportation of food means ‘fresh.’ Additionally, organic foods are attracting an increasing loyal group of local customers as the benefits of eating healthier and supporting sustainable agriculture take hold.

Placer County is seeing a “growing” trend towards fresher, healthier food grown by local farmers. The Natural Trading Company, one of the fastest growing organic farms in Placer County, is capitalizing on this home grown movement.

Located on 40 acres in the scenic foothills of Newcastle, this family-owned and operated farm strives to bring the freshest, healthiest food to its growing customer base. In addition to selling at farmers’ markets, supermarkets, and local restaurants, The Natural Trading Company also offers weekly harvest boxes through their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership program. Customers receive a box containing a variety of fresh, hand-picked vegetables each week throughout the summer growing season.

In an effort to preserve the land for continued agricultural use, Kaminsky worked with Placer Legacy and the California Department of Conservation to establish an agricultural conservation easement on the farm property. The easement, finalized in February 2010, prevents any use or development of the property that would significantly damage or impair the property or its agricultural values.

After 12 years of cultivating a two-and-a-half acre organic farm in Penryn along with 10 acres on a neighboring farm, The Natural Trading Company moved to the Newcastle site in 2007. Owner Bryan Kaminsky sought out a larger location due to an increasing demand for his farm products. According to Christine Turner, Placer County Agricultural Commissioner, the 40-acre farm property is one of the larger farms in Placer County that is not rangeland or rice.

The Natural Trading Company grows fruits, vegetables, sunflower greens, wheatgrass and flowers produced without the use of synthetic or toxic chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers, and without genetically modified or chemically treated seeds. The farm is certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).

“We might currently be the largest organic vegetable grower in Placer County,” says Kaminsky. With only half of the farm currently in production, Kaminsky plans to expand his operations over time.

Specializing in row vegetables such as squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, basil, carrots, onions, lettuce, green beans, garlic, and peppers, The Natural Trading Company is also a local supplier of wheatgrass. The farm has been growing produce for Sacramento, Auburn and North Lake Tahoe residents, natural food stores, restaurants fitness clubs and juice bars since 1995.

“I believe organic farming is going to increase with all the awareness, not just locally but nationally,” says Kaminsky. “It's headed in a good, positive direction.”

“We need to get back to supporting our own local economy, plus the food is better for us and the environment when we buy local,” adds Kaminsky. “If farming in Placer County goes away we lose a whole sector of our community.”

Since most of the planting, weeding and picking is done by hand, the farm supplements paid staff with interns and volunteers to assist with farm operations. Some interns come from as far as the east coast to gain experience and learn how to farm organically.

The establishment of an agricultural conservation easement on the property protects and expands an increasingly important segment of the County's agricultural economy - locally grown and distributed fresh fruit and vegetables. It also meets Placer Legacy’s goals of promoting sales of locally grown produce and helping to create additional markets for agriculture.

As population increases, so does the struggle to protect and restore natural resources. Protecting farmland is a way for the public to maintain open space, retain natural systems and processes, control public infrastructure costs, preserve the local economic base and local self-sufficiency, promote rural lifestyles, maintain local specialty crops and conserve energy. The open space resources in the area are perhaps the most threatened in the County, with a burgeoning human population increasingly drawn to the urban fringes, where quality-of-life is perceived to be high due to the abundant natural amenities and small-town character.

Conversion of farmland into homes and other uses is an issue facing every agricultural region in experiencing urbanization. The most obvious threat to the farm and the area remains the increasing number of large-lot ranchettes on rural lands.

Fragmentation of agricultural lands impacts remaining farming and ranching operations in two ways. As farms and ranches within a predominantly agricultural region are converted to other uses, the remaining operations become surrounded by additional neighbors, increasing the potential for conflict at the urban/agriculture interface. Fragmentation reduces parcel size, thus reducing the amount of contiguous land available for agriculture.

Fragmentation also drives up land values. Even land that is zoned for agriculture increases value as nearby land is developed. Such speculation prices potential farmers and ranchers out of the market. As conversion of agricultural land drives up land values, fewer young farmers will be able to enter the industry either through inheritance or purchase.

Protecting The Natural Trading Company farm will maintain agriculture and space, retain natural systems and processes, preserve the local agricultural economic base and local self-sufficiency, and protects rural lifestyles. The current and previous owners have been outstanding stewards of the resources found on the farm. The property has a long agricultural history and has not been severely disturbed by discing or other intensive soil manipulation.

Kaminsky will incorporate several specific stewardship practices that will promote the long-term conservation and integrity of the property. A two-acre oak woodland in the center of the property will remain undisturbed to foster biodiversity and support a thriving organic farm. Existing granite outcroppings and oak trees will be untouched. A site for the construction of a new residence on the property has been identified and incorporated into the easement.

The County received funding under the California Department of Conservation’s Farmland Conservancy Program for approximately half of the $665,000 agricultural easement cost. The California Farmland Conservancy Program provides grants that support the efforts of nonprofit organizations, local governments, and Resource Conservation Districts to conserve agricultural land through the voluntary acquisition of agricultural conservation easements. The Placer Land Trust also donated $5,000 towards the purchase of the easement.

Bryan Kaminsky, owner, The Natural Trading Company

Kaminsky envisions the farm taking on an educational role.

“I see NTC as a learning facility for new farmers in the community, as an outreach for kids so they can come out on a field trip and learn where food comes from, and an easement makes that possible,” according to Kaminsky. “We're trying really, really hard to make it [in this economy] and it is our passion to be able to provide good quality, healthy food to our customers. It's not easy but we love what we do and that passion keeps us going.

For more information:
www.naturaltradingco.com

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