Common Sense Drives  Local Farmer's  Conservation Efforts

A deep, abiding love for animals has driven John Anderson, owner of Hedgerow Farms, to create the largest farmland habitat restoration project in the county.  But just plain common sense is what keeps him going.

“The habitat value of vegetated farm edges is just real,” he said.  “It’s the obvious right thing to do with pieces of land if you want biodiversity,” and maybe even if biodiversity is not your first love. Anderson said lack of time is what keeps farmers from buying into the concept – not disbelief in the benefits which include better weed control, stable canal and slough banks and less potential for water run-off pollution.

Government, farmers and even irrigation districts have been interested for years in the concept of hedgerows between fields and along ditches.  But time and money are short. While marketing has improved over the years, it’s still not to the level it could be, Anderson said. “The State Water Resources Control Board is promoting this but there is no money for Best Management Practices,” Anderson said.  “I’ve spoken to other growers and they say they just don’t have the time.”Anderson acknowledges that programs paying $70 to $80 an acre per year to take fields out of production for wildlife habitat, is not enough to offset potential income, unless the soil is poor.  But he also knows that growers don’t have to take on huge projects to make a difference.

“They can just do the edges,” he said.  “The water from the fields that flows in the canals has the potential to put pollutants in the groundwater. Plants can reduce that risk.  The dense vegetation of sedges, rushes, creeping wild rye and deer grass reduces weeds.  And planting riparian trees (willows, cottonwoods or valley oaks) creates shading on the canal and reduces evapo-transpiration.  “The important thing about trees is to place them where they don’t impact routine maintenance. In general, 30 feet from the canal is a good rule.” 

Anderson knows it’s not easy.  He notes that he “actually made money” last year producing native seeds and plugs – primarily because government programs promote the use of native plants.  He said it’s been 15 years of hard work, worth every struggle.“In just two or three years, the results were obvious.  It convinced us this is the way we should go in the future.”

From 50 acres in 1974 to nearly 600 acres today, Hedgerow Farms continues to research which native plants are most beneficial and economical. Some of Anderson’s first experiments have shown that his practice of planting natives along canals, sloughs and roadsides can drive out pesky weeds, stabilize canal banks and provide food and cover for a variety of critters. He said crop damage from these invited animals is insignificant when a grower is farming thousands of acres.

One seed at a time: At one time Anderson had a “pie in the sky” viewpoint of transforming his acreage on County Road 88 into an animal haven.  In the early years, he sat on a hill above his land with friend and peer Charlie Rominger and envisioned Union School Slough  and Willow Slough as corridors that would support the movement of deer, and other wildlife from the open space foothills to the Yolo Bypass wildlife area. That hasn’t happened in so many words, but he has witnessed small increments of that vision – otter find their way to his land through the slough and canal systems, staff routinely see snakes and lizards and 120 species of birds have been identified on the property as well as beneficial insects.  Deer tracks on the levee are a common site.  He and his wife even witnessed the successful rearing of five sets of twin deer last year.
Now he’s more patient and realizes it takes time. 

The future: Anderson can instantly spot a Purple needlegrass among thousands of non-native grasses and immediately identify the specie of ducks flying overhead even with his vision obscured by branches of the willow trees he planted 15 years ago.  His obsession and learned skills has paved the way for others, making native plants more accessible as well as knowledge about what works and what doesn’t.  But there’s still more work to be done.

“Marketing is the weakest link, it always has been.  We need to be knocking on doors and putting information at every feasible agricultural location,” he said. 

John Anderson was a Yolo County Resource Conservation District director for 10 years (from 1988 to 1998). He’s currently a director of Audubon California. Article by Barbara Fleck for the Yolo County RCD "Conservation Quarterly", Volume 9, Issue 9. Spring 2005.