[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 17, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1825-E1826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE WORK OF RALPH GROSSI

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2008

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend Ralph 
Grossi of Marin County, California, who has recently retired as 
President of American Farmland Trust (AFT), an organization he co-
founded. During his 23 years at the helm, AFT became the leading 
organization in the country focused on conserving farmland and local 
food systems while promoting environmental stewardship.
  Ralph has made AFT a major force in protecting farmland against 
development, especially around the urban edge--a growing crisis that 
can effect food availability. About 86 percent of U.S. fruits and 
vegetables and 65 percent of dairy products are produced in urban-
influenced areas. Under Ralph's leadership, the American Farmland Trust 
has steadfastly fought against destroying our agricultural lands for 
roads, malls and housing developments.
  AFT has taken a comprehensive approach to further farmland 
preservation, providing policy assistance on the state and local level, 
and nationally lobbying for reform of agricultural subsidies programs 
and increased funding for conservation programs. Recognizing how the 
challenge of climate change intersects with farm preservation, AFT 
promotes ``buy local'' programs and has joined in the call for energy 
efficiency and the increased use of renewables.
  Policy models developed and/or promoted by AFT are now used across 
the nation, including a ``Right to Farm'' and ``no net loss of 
farmland'' ordinances, Agricultural District programs, special tax 
credits, mitigation for farmland loss, and, perhaps most widely, 
conservation easements, now commonly used by local land trusts.
  I can proudly say that Ralph pioneered the AFT amazing farm 
preservation tool box in Marin County, in my district. As a member of 
four generations in a family dairy and beef business, Ralph was a co-
founder and chairman of Marin Agricultural Land Trust, the first such 
agency in the nation to preserve agricultural land by acquiring 
easements that enable local ranchers to maintain their land for farm 
uses. His years with MALT and the Marin County Farm Bureau, as well as 
his time working on the family ranch, shaped his dedication to 
protecting this vanishing resource.

[[Page E1826]]

  MALT's success demonstrated that environmentalists and ranchers 
working together can accomplish their mutual goals. ``We tried to 
develop a different system for protecting land,'' he said. ``You could 
be going along just great for a few years, and then the political 
nature of the county changes. We wanted to move away from the political 
area . . . and be fair to land owners.'' Protecting this land ensures 
our nation's food supply (``No farms, no food'' is the AFT 
catchphrase), while preserving our soil, water, wildlife, and rural 
beauty.
  Phyllis Faber, who developed the idea for MALT with rancher Ellen 
Straus, emphasized Ralph's key role in making the concept work. ``He 
was so respected by the ranchers,'' she says. ``By becoming the first 
Chair, he secured their interest and support. Ralph was the spark.''
  Ralph's grandparents emigrated from Switzerland and began ranching in 
1896. His father James, one of eleven children, continued the family 
tradition, as did many of his siblings, establishing the family ranch 
in 1917. James and his wife Rose, also from a Swiss family, had four 
children, who learned the business at a young age. Ralph described 
following his dad around from the age of four or five, then ``when we 
were about seven or eight years old, we got our first chores to do, 
feeding some calves or taking care of some small livestock.''
  Ralph later graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a degree 
in agriculture. He continued working on the family ranch and developed 
the first methane digester West of the Mississippi, becoming an early 
innovator in converting cow manure into power. Along the way he married 
college sweetheart Judy Lamb, and the couple has three daughters Amy 
(married to Brian Carr), Erin, and Katie.
  Madam Speaker, although Ralph Grossi will be returning with Judy to 
the hills and meadows of Marin County to focus on the family's 
Marindale Ranch, he will continue to champion the cause of farmland 
preservation. Ralph led the way for so many of us and has been a 
partner to me in these efforts. I know we will continue to work 
together to ensure that we protect the lands that are the backbone of 
this country. I wish Ralph and Judy and their family the very best.

                          ____________________