California is investing $128 million to preserve 40,000 acres of farmland statewide — including nearly 10,000 acres of grazing land in Madera County. The funding, approved earlier this month by the state’s Strategic Growth Council, is aimed at protecting agricultural land from urban development and maintaining the state’s rural character.

In a Wired Wednesday segment on Fox 26 KMPH, GV Wire’s Edward Smith explained that the preserved land, located near Highway 41 and west of Highway 99, had been eyed by developers but will now remain dedicated to cattle grazing. The families who own the property will keep it, but with strict guarantees that it must stay in agricultural use permanently.

“The idea is to lock it in,” Smith said. “The land can never be developed — it stays farmland forever.”

The Madera County project received about $5.7 million in state funding, part of a broader conservation push financed through California’s cap-and-trade program. Similar easements are being pursued along the Kings River near Reedley and in other parts of the Central Valley, where productive farmland faces increasing pressure from residential growth.

State officials say these agricultural easements not only preserve open space but also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit sprawl by curbing long-distance commutes.