Notes from the editor

Marin’s thriving foodshed and consumers who buy local food to support local agriculture and businesses have paved the way for the area’s burgeoning Fibershed. The beginnings of the Fibershed movement and it’s growth from one woman’s pledge to wear only locally made clothes to a sold out event in Point Reyes Station is featured in the article “Fibershed bringing  ‘farm-fresh’ clothing to the region.” Fiber production is yet another way Marin’s innovative and dedicated producers keep the working landscapes we treasure viable.
 
As our local fibershed grows, the local foodshed continues to expand and diversify. With the passage of the California Homemade Food Act even more options are available for farmers looking to create more value-added products. These new regulations provide an opening for farmers looking to add a longer life and greater diversity to their products.

With the passage of measure A, Marin County continues its legacy as a poster child for protecting agricultural land, local production, and innovation. Since the time of M.B Boissevain, Marin’s first farm advisor, Marin citizens and its farming families have committed to passing on family traditions and preserving a cornerstone of our community: family farming. This agricultural heritage is alive and vibrant today, and those fifth generation (or more) farmers and ranchers continue to manage Marin’s iconic working landscapes, one of our most beautiful and valuable resources.  

To understand more about managing Marin’s working landscapes, we take you “Home on the range(land).” This article explores grazing management and the importance of grasslands in Marin. It is clear that the future of Marin’s working landscapes will continue to be dotted with grazing animals that will become part of our local food and fibersheds.

Editors: Juliet Braslow and David Lewis