California's Williamson Act, cattle ranch economics, and biological conservation

Mon, 02 Dec 2013 19:00:00 -0500

The research describes potential effects of changes in state funding of a popular program on one of California's major agricultural sectors. Ranching interest groups and local media outlets and blogs have widely disseminated our students' research. In January 2013, study coauthors UC Davis doctoral candidates Dale Manning and Daniel Swezey were invited by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to present their research results at a meeting of the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Advisory Committee. Further, in addition to statewide analyses, the students incorporated supplementary analyses specific to Santa Barbara County. Meeting participants included county supervisors, land owners, representatives from trade organizations, and University of California cooperative extension specialists, who distributed reprints of the students' paper and commented on the importance of the article for the ranching industry in California. According to University of California Cooperative Extension Specialist Richard Enfield, Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner Cathy Fisher was pleased with the quality of the information presented. Enfield felt that the student’s presentation helped reinforce the value of the Williamson Act in Santa Barbara County in particular. He elaborated, "It was another way to show the county the importance of [the University of California] and how the work we do at the University level impacts and helps inform work and policy decisions at the local level." Paul Van Leer, a rancher and 2013 chair of the Santa Barbara Agricultural Advisory Committee, subsequently wrote to the students to express his appreciation for their presentation. Van Leer commented, "I learned a great deal and found your comments helpful. There is a definite need for policymakers and the general public to become better informed on this topic...Thank you again for such an informative presentation."