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<back | home Vanishing Farms and how you can help by Ilona Ing Each year approximately 3,500,000 acres of farm and rangeland are lost in the United States to urban development. More than 128,000 acres of California farmland are converted to municipal use annually. Between the years 1998 to 2000 alone, the number of acres lost to urban build-up in San Luis Obispo County was 2,000. Fifty acres of farmland are converted to development every hour nationally. For areas where there are vast amount of undeveloped land, it is hard for the local citizens to be alarmed. In the rural oceanside community of Cayucos, California, there are still acres of rolling hills just north and east of the town. So when a group of educators, ranchers and local residents decided to pay $3,600,000 for the Thunder Canyon Farm, an 1860s dairy just a couple of miles from downtown Cayucos, in order to protect the farm from development, it seemed like a case of "over reacting." It was true that several developers had put in offers to purchase the property in order to create a gated luxury community, but even that type of development is hard to label as urban sprawl. Ilona Ing, the granddaughter of farmers in Hawaii, felt that Thunder Canyon Farm had a unique history and an extraordinary landscape that set it apart from other coastal farms. The farm’s 1894 barn and turn-of-the-century farmhouse were in good condition and could be preserved and opened to the public. Ms Ing is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, whose campus sits just 18 miles south of Thunder Canyon Farm. The University’s motto is "learn by doing." Ms Ing spoke to local historian Dr. Dan Krieger, who told her that Thunder Canyon dairy was established in the mid-1860s. The roof of the 110-year-old barn is of Swiss design, and only two barns in the county were built in that manner. Dr. Gene Stakey, former chair of Cal Poly’s Dairy Science Department, provided additional historical background about dairying in San Luis Obispo County. The county had led the state in dairy production from the 1860s until the mid-1950s and produced more dairy products at one time than the entire country of Denmark. He pointed out that even though there were once as many as 750 to 1,000 dairy farms in San Luis Obispo County, there are no farms operating today. The only dairy in production is at the University. The current Dairy Science Chair, Dr. Leslie Ferreira, suggested that since the county had played such a significant roll in dairy farming, a dairy museum could be created to teach and entertain visitors at Thunder Canyon farm. Ms Ing, who is half Hawaiian and half Chinese, laughs at the idea that she would spearhead a project to save a historic dairy farm. "We Hawaiians never drink milk with a meal of raw fish and poi. And I can’t imagine anyone who is Chinese ordering cheese on top of their noodles." Yet the Pacific Islander is committed to raising the money necessary to buy the historic Thunder Canyon farm by May 1, 2004, the date set to pay for the farm or lose the $330,000 deposit. Dr. Krieger and Shandon rancher, Irv McMillan, along with several others formed Thunder Canyon, Inc., a public benefit educational nonprofit corporation to acquire the farm and thus preserve it for future generations. Clayton Whitt, a Social Science major at Cal Poly, is one of several students who spent much of their winter break writing fundraising letters to thousands of alumni. To Clayton, preserving Thunder Canyon Farm is important because he sees small counties like Lake County, which he calls home, growing so rapidly. "As more and more Starbucks and Barnes and Nobles pop up everywhere, every community starts looking just like the next. It’s the historical structures and the natural terrain that distinguishes one community from the next. If I can contribute my time to save one special place forever, I’ll know I made a lasting difference." Dairy farms were an important characteristic of coastal counties from San Diego to the Oregon border. The mild climate and abundant pastureland were ideal for milking cows. The California heifers did not have to be sheltered during the winter months like the milking cows on the East coast. Piers and warehouses in the beach towns of Pismo, Avila, Cayucos and San Simeon made it easy to ship the butter and cheese from the local creameries to larger cities such as San Francisco. As state highways and trucks became the mode for hauling farm goods to the growing cities, California dairy production grew and rivaled the production of better-known dairy states such as Wisconsin. Today, California’s dairy production established by the Swiss Italian and Portuguese dairymen continues to lead the nation. Even though vineyards are for more visible in the state than dairies, diary revenue is twice as great as wine. The historic Thunder Canyon farm sits in a valley two and a half miles from the beach. A stream runs through the pasture and is the spawning place for steelhead salmon. Sycamore groves, grassy meadows and ponds provide deer and other wildlife a safe and natural habitat. The old barn still has the 40 milking stalls; 20 on each side of the hay floor. The saltbox home exudes the ch racter and charm that can only be achieved with the passing of time. The stories of the early dairymen who settled in this part of California can be seen in the rusting tools that lie around the farm. Just as the California missions tell the history of the Spanish settlers, Thunder Canyon tells the story of the vanishing coastal dairy farms. You can help save an important part California’s heritage for future generations by sending your donation to Thunder Canyon, Inc. at 160 Graves Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 or visit the farm at www.thundercanyon.org. Volunteers are welcome. <back | top^ |