A new bill before the California State Legislature aims to provide financial incentives for landowners who commit to keeping their land in agricultural use. Introduced by State Senator David Cortese, Senate Bill 462 (SB 462) seeks to strengthen funding for farmland conservation amid growing efforts to preserve open spaces in the Bay Area and beyond.
The bill would enhance the California Farmland Conservancy Program, which supports agricultural conservation and sustainable land management. If passed, SB 462 would allocate $20 million annually to fund conservation easements—agreements that compensate landowners for permanently restricting their land to farming, regardless of future ownership changes.
By directly investing in farmland preservation, the bill represents a proactive step toward safeguarding California’s agricultural landscape against urban expansion and development pressures.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour. She was recently named the 2024 Farm Broadcaster of the Year by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting and serves as a Council Member on the World Agriculture Forum. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley and now divides her time between California and North Dakota.