Brentwood’s farms have always been central to the city’s culture and economy – and the City has been exploring new ways to support its local farmers, preserve its farming heritage, and use its 11,000-acre “Agricultural Core” as a potential engine for economic growth.

In 2001, Brentwood created the City’s Agricultural Enterprise program, which provides funding for a variety of services and policy initiatives:

Protection of Sensitive Farmlands

Brentwood partners with local non-profits, such as the California Farmland Trust to negotiate “conservation easements” for local farms that are potentially threatened by housing development. These conservation easements are real estate agreements, in which the property owner agrees to have the farmland reserved solely for agricultural use in perpetuity. To date, the City of Brentwood has contributed more than $12 million for easements that have helped to preserve 988 acres of local farmland.

Marketing & Branding

The City’s Brentwood Grown program has increased public awareness about the superior quality of produce grown in Brentwood. In addition, the City has an ongoing partnership with Harvest Time in Brentwood (a local grower’s co-op) to publish a farm map that informs visitors how to enjoy local farms.

Business Development & Agritourism

The City has adopted an Agricultural Enterprise Implementation Plan to capitalize on business growth opportunities associated with Brentwood’s agriculture sector.

Many industries, from food processing to biotechnology, may be attracted by Brentwood’s farmland. These farmlands offer some of the most fertile soil in all of California. In addition, most of the 11,000 acres of local farmland receive irrigation water from the local irrigation district that has a pre-1914 water right – which allows much greater reliability, flexibility and affordability in using this water supply.

The City encourages and supports new agriculture-related business ventures. For example, the City’s new Community Center is equipped with a large commercial kitchen that is made available to business start-ups related to local farms. The City has also begun to reach out to several key industries that might be interested in Brentwood’s agricultural resources, such as the industrial biotechnology sector.

Brentwood farms attract more than 150,000 visitors each year who come to pick fruit and sample Brentwood’s farming heritage. These activities create the opportunity to build regional retail and tourism in the area – another potential source of jobs.

Thus, Brentwood’s farms are a great source of pride for the community, and they may also become increasingly important as a source of new jobs and business activity.

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