Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA)

in Yolo County

Phil Hogan, District ConservationistUSDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

221 W. Court, Suite 1Woodland, CA 95695

phil.hogan@ca.usda.gov

• YOLO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA LOCATION– Lower part of Sacramento Valley– Land Area: 661,760 acres, or 1,034 square miles– Just northwest of Sacramento from I-5 or I-80

Yolo County

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

• YOLO COUNTY AGRICULTURE– 1,060 Farms– Average Size: 519 Acres– $333 million market value– Processing tomatoes biggest cash crop, then wine

grapes– Ranks ~20th in California– 6% total county employment– Prime Farmland = 48% of the County ag land– Leader in direct marketing– Organic sector growing

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

• YOLO COUNTY MAJOR LAND USES

4% 2%

22%

5%

5%

7%

54%

1%

Urban

Rural Residential

Livestock

BLM

Other Public

Orchard/Vineyard

Cultivated AgLandWater

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

• REGIONAL GROWTH TRENDS– Yolo County is between rapidly growing Sacramento

and Bay Areas– Until recently, major growth has bypassed Yolo County– Growth is rapidly increasing now:

• ample supply of relatively inexpensive developable land• relatively inexpensive housing• good supply of water for industrial use• relatively low utility rates• perceived high quality of life• I-80, I-5, I-505 and SP Railroad all induce growth

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

• YOLO COUNTY POPULATION TREND– 2002 Population: 172,500– 2020 Projected Population: 262,400– This represents a 52% increase

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

• FARMLAND PROTECTION MEASURES IN YOLO COUNTY– Williamson Act and Farmland Security Zones: YES– California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): YES– General Plan Amendments: YES– Habitat Conservation Plan: YES– Right-to-Farm Ordinances: YES– Sphere of Influence: YES– Yolo Land Trust (Easements): YES– Local Land Evaluation and Site Assessment System

(LESA): YES

FarmlandProtection Measures

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

• BACKGROUND ON YOLO COUNTY LESA – LESA not widely used in California– Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) policies– NRCS approached LAFCO to show how LESA can help– LAFCO directed that LESA subcommittee be formed– Several meetings and field tested– Finalized by LAFCO board in 2000– State LESA model developed by Department of

Conservation– Contact Dr. Charles Tyson (916) 324-0862

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

LESA in Yolo County, California

• YOLO COUNTY LESA SUBCOMMITTEE – Yolo County Local Agency Formation Commission

(LAFCO)– Yolo County Resource Conservation District– Yolo County Community Development Agency– SWCS University of California, Davis Student Club– California Department of Conservation (Chuck Tyson)– City of Davis– Yolo County Board of Supervisors– Cooperative Extension Service– Yolo Land Trust– Planning Consultants– Realtors, Farmers, Yolo County Farm Bureau, USDA

NRCS

LESAFACTORING

• INTRODUCTION TO YOLO COUNTY LESA – Lesa is a tool to identify the most important agricultural

lands– Maximum score is 100– Land Evaluation Factors: 50 points– Site Assessment Factors: 50 points– Land Evaluation uses USDA LCC, UC Storie Index,

and an irrigation component– Site Assessment is based on parcel size, urban conflict,

zoning

+LE

Factors 50 pts.

SAFactors 50 pts.

+

= 100 pts total LESA score

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

• FACTOR WEIGHTING– Land Evaluation and Site Assessment Weight

• LE and SA are weighted 50% each off the total LESA score• Maximum LE score is 50• Maximum SA score is 50• Maximum LESA score is 100

– Individual Factor Weight• LE Land Capability Class (LCC): 20%• LE Storie Index Rating (SIR): 20%• LE Water: 10%• SA Size: 20%• SA Urban Separation: 15%• SA Zoning: 15%

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

Evaluation Factors: Score Weight WeightedScore

Land Evaluation Scores:

Land Capability Classification: X (0.20) =

Storie Index Rating: X (0.20) =

Irrigated Farmland Score: X (0.10) =

Site Assessment

Project Size Score: X (0.20) =

Separation from Urban Conflict Score: X (0.15) =

County Zoning Score: X (0.15) =

(Sum the above weighted scores to obtain the Total LESA Score) Total LESA Score:

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

• University of California, Davis• Relative Degree suitability of a soil for

intensive agriculture• Soil characteristics only• In itself, cannot be considered an index for

land valuation

Storie Index

• Four factors considered:– Profile Characteristics

• Suitability of a soil profile for plant root growth– Surface Layer Texture

• Affects ease of tillage and water holding capacity– Slope

• Affects water runoff– Other Conditions: high water table, salts, etc.

Storie Index

• Each factor is rated separately in terms of percentage of the ideal, or 100%

• Storie Index of a soil is obtained by multiplying the four factors– Profile rating 100% X Texture rating 100% X Slope

rating 100% X Other condition (saline-alkali soil) 20% = Storie Index = 20

Storie Index

Storie Index

• Soils placed in grades according to agricultural suitability:– Grade 1: 80 to 100 Index Rating– Grade 2: 60 to 80 Index Rating– Grade 3: 40 to 60 Index Rating– Grade 4: 20 to 40 Index Rating– Grade 5: 10 to 20 Index Rating– Grade 6: Less than 10 Index Rating

Storie Index

• Grade 1: few or no limitations for use for crops• Grade 2: Suitable for most crops, minor limitations• Grade 3: Suitable for few crops or special crops that

require special management• Grade 4: Severely limited for crops; careful management• Grade 5: Not suitable for cultivated crops, used for

pasture and range• Grade 6: Not suited to farming.

Storie Index

Soil Symbol Soil Name Classification Acres Storie Index Product

BrA Brentwood silty clay loam PRIME 97.0 81 7857.0Ra Reiff very fine sandy loam PRIME 3.0 100 300.0Rg Rincon silty clay loam PRIME 22.0 73 1606.0

SmDSehorn-Balcom complex, 2-15%slopes (see table below for S.I.calculation)

LOCALIMPORTANT 2.0 37* 74.0

Ya Yolo silt loam PRIME 138.0 100 13800.0TOTALS 262.0 23637.0

Average weighted Storie Index = 23637.0/ 262.0 = 90

Storie Index: AD-1006U.S. Department of Agriculture

FARMLAND CONVERSION IMPACT RATINGPART I (To be completed by Federal Agency) Date Of Land Evaluation Request August 17, 2001

Name of Project Lower Cache Creek Flood Reduction Study Federal Agency Involved U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Proposed Land Use Flood Control Levee/Riparian Habitat County and State Yolo County, California

PART II (To be completed by NRCS) Date Request Received By NRCS Week of August 27, 2001

Does the site contain prime, unique, statewide or local important farmland?

(If no, the FPPA does not apply - do not complete additional parts of this form)

YES NO Acres Irrigated

234,112Average Farm Size

569

Major Crop(s) Tomatoes, rice, corn, wheat,wine grapes

Farmable Land In Govt. Jurisdiction

Acres: 420,771Amount of Farmland As Defined in FPPA

Acres: 420,771 64.3 %

Name of Land Evaluation System Used

Storie IndexName of Local Site Assessment System

LAFCO LESA (not used for this evaluation)Date Land Evaluation Returned by NRCS

Tuesday, September 18, 2001; ALT C: 1/22/02

Alternative Site RatingPART III (To be completed by Federal Agency)Site A Site B Site C Site D

A. Total Acres To Be Converted Directly 234.5 123.5

B. Total Acres To Be Converted Indirectly 723.3 0

C. Total Acres In Site 957.8 125.4

PART IV (To be completed by NRCS) Land Evaluation Information

A. Total Acres Prime And Unique Farmland 919.80 121.67 1835

B. Total Acres Statewide Important or Local Important Farmland 38.0 3.73 66

C. Percentage Of Farmland in County Or Local Govt. Unit To Be Converted .23% .03% 0.45%

D. Percentage Of Farmland in Govt. Jurisdiction With Same Or Higher Relative Value 2% .12% ++.12%; +3.7%

PART V (To be completed by NRCS) Land Evaluation Criterion

Relative Value of Farmland To Be Converted (Scale of 0 to 100 Points)94 77 95

PART VI (To be completed by Federal Agency)

Site Assessment Criteria (These criteria are explained in 7 CFR 658.5 b)

Maximum

Points

1. Area In Non-urban Use 15

2. Perimeter In Non-urban Use 10

3. Percent Of Site Being Farmed 20

4. Protection Provided By State and Local Government 20

5. Distance From Urban Built-up Area 15

6. Distance To Urban Support Services 15

7. Size Of Present Farm Unit Compared To Average 10

8. Creation Of Non-farmable Farmland 10

9. Availability Of Farm Support Services 5

10. On-Farm Investments 20

11. Effects Of Conversion On Farm Support Services 10

12. Compatibility With Existing Agricultural Use 10

TOTAL SITE ASSESSMENT POINTS 160

PART VII (To be completed by Federal Agency) Relative Value Of Farmland (From Part V) 100

Total Site Assessment (From Part VI above or local site assessment) 160

TOTAL POINTS (Total of above 2 lines) 260

Site Selected: Date Of Selection

Was A Local Site Assessment Used?

YES NO

Reason For Selection:

Sites with scores of 159 and lower should receive consideration for project status. Sites with 160 and above reflect the higher quality farmland.

(See Instructions on reverse side) Form AD-1006 (10-83)

Name of Land Evaluation System UsedStorie Index

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

• PROBLEMS, PERCEPTIONS, LIMITATIONS OF LESA– Various levels of political will to protect farmland– Lack of consensus on prime farmland criteria– Range and forest land uses– NRCS Field Offices lack training

• PROBLEMS, PERCEPTIONS, LIMITATIONS OF LESA– Irrigated lands– LESA will not protect farmland by itself– Consistency of results– LESA is not LISA– Manipulation of LESA to meet political needs– Landowner fears of numbers attached to t heir land– First thing: agree on the objective of local LESA

system!

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

% OF PROJECT THAT ISIRRIGATED

SCORE IF 50% SURROUNDED BYIRRIGATED FARMLAND

SCORE IF <50% SURROUNDED BYIRRIGATED FARMLAND

75-100 100 100

50-74 80 60

1-49 80 40

0 80 0

• LE WATER SCORE

LESA di daerah Yolo, California

• LESSONS AND ADVICE– Local initiative– Receptive local government– LESA Committee Diversity– Patience!– Quality– Set deadlines– Technical credibility– Supervisor’s support

LESA di daerah Yolo, California