[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 10114-10115]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      CONGRATULATING STEVE SINTON

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate 
Steve Sinton of Shandon, CA, on winning the American Farmland Trust's 
2005 Steward of the Land Award. This award recognizes Steve for his 
lifelong commitment to conservation and sound stewardship practices. He 
is the ninth American farmer to win this award, and I am pleased to 
praise his efforts and achievements today.
  Created in 1997 in honor of farmer and conservationist Peggy McGrath 
Rockefeller, the American Farmland Trust gives the Steward of the Land 
Award each year to a farmer or farm family in the United States who has 
shown outstanding leadership at the national, State, and local levels 
in protecting farmland and caring for the environment. This award 
recognizes ranchers such as Steve and helps raise awareness about the 
public benefits of good stewardship and the importance of conserving 
land for future generations.
  Through his work on his own land and throughout the State of 
California, Steve Sinton has epitomized the spirit of this award 
through his dedication to protecting our country's farmlands and 
ranchlands, understanding how critical they are to supporting our local 
communities, sustaining our Nation's food supply, and preserving clean 
water and wildlife habitat.
  A fourth generation California rancher, Steve and his wife Jane 
manage 18,000 acres of ranchland and 125 acres of vineyards where they 
utilize a variety of innovative practices to promote sustainability and 
protect the environment. He effectively works with local governments to 
protect ranch and farmlands, and Steve and his family have also played 
an important role in

[[Page 10115]]

providing habitat for the reintroduction of the California condor on 
their land, including essential nesting grounds.
  But Steve's efforts go far beyond his own family's farm. Steve helped 
form the California Rangeland Trust in 1998 where he was elected to 
serve as the founding chairman. With his leadership, the Rangeland 
Trust has protected over 170,000 acres of ranchland. Steve has also 
served as vice-chairman of the California Cattlemen's Association Land 
Use Committee, where his dedication and leadership galvanized support 
among the ranching community for agricultural conservation and 
conservation practices.
  A look at Steve's family history makes clear why he works so hard for 
farmland preservation and takes these efforts so seriously. Steve's 
family came to San Luis Obispo County in 1874 and bought the family 
farm the following year, meaning that Steve's family has been ranching 
in the county for 130 years. Steve grew up on the family ranch and 
attended my alma mater, Stanford University, before heading to the 
University of Colorado School of Law. After five years with the 
California Department of Water Resources in Sacramento, CA, Steve 
returned to San Luis Obispo County to help manage the family's ranches 
and continue his private water law practice. In addition to all this, 
Steve also has been active in his community, working with numerous 
organizations, coaching sports, and serving on the Shandon School Board 
for fifteen years.
  As a U.S. Senator representing the State of California, I 
congratulate Steve on winning this award and thank him for his many 
years of service to our State. I wish to send my very best to Steve, 
his wife Jane, and their two children Julie and Daniel.

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