In Brentwood, a “para-urban” community in Contra Costa County on the eastern outskirts of San Francisco, an amalgam of groups combines to keep 20,000 acres of farmland in production and out of subdivisions, office parks and strip malls, says Kristina Johnson at Civil Eats. Slow economic recovery has generated interest among hard-headed landowners in agreeing to conservation easements rather than selling to developers. Johnson says “most Brentwood farmers see agriculture as a business, not a moral crusade.”
Organizations such as Brentwood Harvest Time and First Generation Farmers direct public attention to local food. Says one organizer, “There’s a stigma to farming.” Others say they were surprised how many students at the local schools saw farming as a last-ditch option, but who grew to love time in the fields.
South Dakota rancher Dan O’Brien grazes buffalo in the Black Hills, a niche market in a meat industry dominated by large-scale feedlots. In a story by Don Carr at Civil Eats, O’Brien says “you’re never going to see buffalo burger stands” because of the comparatively small numbers of bison and the requirement for “a large-scale landscape, where they’re on grass all the time.” Carbon sequestration is a possible way to augment ranch income. “What I’m really interested in is species diversity and sustainability in the Northern Great Plains and you really can’t think about that without thinking about buffalo,” he said.