DEALS TO PRESERVE FARMS IN MERCED

EASEMENTS TO PROTECT 155 ACRES FROM BEING SOLD TO DEVELOPERS.

By BEE STAFF REPORTS

last updated: September 29, 2007 01:03:53 AM

Two more Merced County farms have come under conservation easements, which provide payments to owners who agree to keep land in agriculture forever.

One is a 78-acre almond farm east of Livingston, owned by Jean Okuye. The other is 77 acres of peaches and almonds east of Delhi, owned by the Espinosa family.

The payments total about $1.1 million. Of this, $856,875 came from the California Department of Conservation and the rest from the Great Valley Center, based in Modesto. The Central Valley Farmland Trust will hold the easements.

A tiny percentage of valley land is under easements, but advocates say they can be crucial to keeping cities from spreading onto high-quality soil.

"We're very pleased that the Espinosa and Okuye farms will remain in agricultural use for-ever," Mike

Chrisman, the state's resources secretary, said in a news release. "Preserving farmland in the face of increasing growth pressures is essential for California's economy and quality of life."

The payments typically reflect the difference between the agricultural value of the land and the prices the owners could draw from developers.

The easements do not restrict farming practices. They are passed on to subsequent owners of the land.

"We're not against growth," said Bridgett Luther, director of the state agency, "but we are trying to preserve as much of the high-quality Central Valley farmland as possible."

Denny Jackman