Giving Back to the Land
The McNamara family of Sierra Orchards farms with a passion for conservation.
Sierra Orchards, a 450-acre organic walnut farm in Winters, California, is permanently protected through a conservation agreement, ensuring the land will remain dedicated to agriculture for generations to come.
This milestone marked a significant achievement for the McNamara family, who have farmed the land for four decades, blending innovative agricultural practices with a commitment to environmental stewardship.
In 2005, Sierra Orchards worked with Solano Land Trust, the state of California, and the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) to permanently protect the land.
A Transformation
Approaching the McNamara family’s Sierra Orchards, one passes miles and miles of flat Central Valley farmland beneath a backdrop of the imposing Coastal Mountain Range. Then fruit trees come into view. Walnuts litter the ground. A hawk soars overhead. It’s a sunny day during the fall harvest season.
The transformation of Sierra Orchards began over 40 years ago with Craig McNamara, who took over the farm and converted it into a walnut orchard.
Craig, whose father was controversial U.S. secretary of defense Robert McNamara, had returned from a trip to Latin America deciding he wanted to farm.
I started farming to be able to provide food to people. As farmers, we have to find the right way forward. Everybody in this world deserves their food.
Over the years, he persevered, building the farm operation. The family transitioned to organic farming, eliminating the use of synthetic pesticides and implementing regenerative practices such as planting cover crops.
Sierra Orchards grows, hulls, cleans and dries walnuts before selling them to a processor. Their organic walnuts are sold at Trader Joe’s. The last four years have been challenging for the farm, owner Craig McNamara says.
I started farming in 1980. Our price last year for walnuts was what we got in 1980. We have to change, or we’ll go out of business.
Protecting the Future
Craig with his daughter Emily. Craig and his wife Julie always encouraged their children to find their own paths, never pressuring them to take over the farm. The future of Sierra Orchards became clear when their son, Sean, and Emily chose to return to the farm and continue the family’s legacy.
Sean’s decision to return to the farm and commit to sustainable farming brought fresh energy and new ideas.
Sean introduced 1,000 grazing sheep to the orchard. They help fertilize the trees with their manure and eat the weeds. Her also started a composting program.
This work is not easy. How do you balance that with the beauty of this place — you can't pay for that.
In 2005, Sierra Orchards worked with Solano Land Trust, the state of California, and the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) to protect the farm's future by selling the development rights to a large portion of their land.
The agricultural conservation agreement not only secured the land’s future but also provided financial stability for the family, allowing Sean and Emily to return and work on the farm.
It was the right thing to do. We live within 35 minutes of the capital of California, the fifth-largest economy in the world. Here we are in the midst of this amazing farmland—and we’re only an hour from the Bay Area.
Innovative Practices
The conservation easement’s practical benefits have allowed the McNamara's to pay off their debt, freeing them to invest in new farming methods.
Sean has embraced innovative organic farming techniques. By shredding removed trees on-site and turning the waste into compost, Sean is nurturing the soil’s natural biology and allowing it to rest and recover, creating a healthier environment for future plantings.
This integrated, sustained approach is what really makes Sierra Orchards stand out. We have many outstanding conservation farmers in the state, but few have dedicated themselves so wholeheartedly to conservation agriculture and the education of our youth.
The farm has 170-year-old olive trees growing Mission olives, which were originally from Spain.
They make unbelievable oil.
Water is always a concern here. “Last summer, five of our pumping stations went dry,” Craig says. “That took my breath away. That’s the canary in the coal mine. The water table has gone below the pump. We’re living the results of climate change, and it’s devastating.”
Building a Bright Future
Craig is the former president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. And as the founder of the Center for Land-Based Learning, he has been instrumental in educating the next generation of farmers about sustainable agriculture.
It’s really challenging for a beginning farmer to start.
The center, which operates from Sierra Orchards, reaches more than 2,000 California students annually, offering hands-on learning experiences in environmentally responsible farming practices.
Having Emily and Sean on the farm is the greatest gift of my career. I always hoped for that but couldn’t count on it.
The McNamaras’ commitment to conservation and sustainable farming practices is a testament to the power of long-term thinking.
By protecting Sierra Orchards through a conservation agreement, they have ensured that their land will continue to provide fresh, organic food while serving as a model of innovative, sustainable agriculture for future generations.
“We could have divided this land into creek side estates—just think of the value,” Craig says. “Julie and I said that is not what is right for the land or what we want for the future."
We’re in the heart of one of the five special agricultural places in the world. These soils are 40 feet deep.
I don't want to ever sell the farm.
The "golden hour" at Sierra Orchards.
“We’re just stewards of the land in this lifetime. We too shall pass. But we want this land to remain in farming forever.”
About NRCS
The federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) was a voluntary conservation program that provided matching funds to state and local governments, land trusts, and tribes for the purchase of permanent conservation easements to protect agricultural land from development. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administered the FRPP from 1996 to 2014. FRPP was superseded by the Agricultural Lands Easement component of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP-ALE) in the 2014 Farm Bill.
About American Farmland Trust (AFT)
American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on protecting the land, promoting regenerative agricultural practices, and supporting farmers and ranchers. American Farmland Trust launched the national conservation agriculture movement and raises public awareness through our No Farms, No Food® campaign. Since 1980, American Farmland and our partners have permanently protected nearly eight million acres of agricultural land while advancing environmentally sound farming practices on millions more and supporting thousands of farm families.
About the Photographer
Shawn Linehan specializes in capturing the compelling stories of socially responsible farmers and mission-driven clients. Employing a journalist's sense of narrative and an artist's eye, she creates intimate, authentic images that celebrate the lives of environmental stewards dedicated to improving our access to local, healthy, and delicious food. She resides in Portland, Oregon, where she documents the inspiring stories of those working towards a more sustainable and equitable food system.
