HERDING THE RANCHERS
Published in the Jan. 31, 2026 issue.
Lindsay Gucker knows farming in the Eastern Sierra is challenging. That’s why her organization Plena, which focuses on holistic farm design and resilient food system planning, is joining forces with the Eastern Sierra Council of Governments (ESCOG) and Nathan Reade, the Mono and Inyo County Agricultural Commissioner, to create the Eastern Sierra Agriculture Activation Plan (ESAAP).
Gucker hopes ESAAP, which kicked off mid-December and is funded by the Sierra Jobs First Initiative, will empower local producers. Gucker is the project manager.
“Our primary goal is to address the biggest challenges facing farmers and ranchers in Inyo and Mono Counties,” Gucker said. “[We want to] set up lasting systems to provide them with enhanced economic opportunities, and opportunities to practice environmental stewardship with support from local agencies, and ultimately strengthen the local food system.”
There are an estimated 200 farmers and ranchers in the Eastern Sierra. Gucker wants to work with every one of them. So far she’s been connecting with community members through distributing an online survey about local food needs and demands.
“We’re trying to build the bridge between consumers and producers through that survey, by gathering consumer data” she said.
Most of these local producers raise cattle or farm alfalfa crops, Gucker said. The challenges they face are multi-faceted, Gucker explained. The Sierra is remote, and doesn’t have access to the same water processing facilities that other, more connected farms do. Moreover, much of the water in the Owens River Valley is diverted to serve Los Angeles. Producers also struggle with land access, as the majority of the land in Mono and Inyo Counties is public.
“I just think there’s a lot of opportunity for supporting people who are forging ahead with [farming and ranching] despite the challenges,” she said. “Everything in the plan will support local producers through creating resiliency in their operations.”
The Eastern Sierra Agriculture Activation Plan will approach these challenges using a system of five strategies, Gucker explained. She divided these strategies into five categories: land management practices, land access and tenure, diversifying producer products, diversifying producer services, and expanding markets and marketing.
Gucker identified specific, implementable pieces to each pillar of the plan. She discussed resource conservation, working with the Eastern Sierra Land Trust to create easements that producers could farm on, implementing a culture of agriculturism and boosting events such as harvest festivals. Gucker also floated connecting with local restaurants who want to put local food on their tables.
Gucker and her team have also been working closely with the local tribes, including the Big Pine Paiute and the Northern Paiute.
“I think there’s a lot to be learned from the indigenous people of this area as well as the multigenerational ranching families who have the longest connection to the land,” Gucker said.
She pointed to Blue Heron Farms in Bishop as an example for what farming in the Eastern Sierra could be. Gucker’s organization Plena worked previously with Blue Heron and she hopes to implement some of the strategies the farm uses in her ESAAP project.
“Blue Heron is a beautiful example of the diversity of what’s possible to grow here,” she said. “They have a thousand fruit trees of many different varieties, and lots of vegetables and herbs. They’re really forging ahead, working very hard to provide quality fresh produce to our community.”
Gucker will draw on her own background in farming and agricultural consulting in her role as the project manager for ESAAP.
She grew up working on organic vegetable farms in upstate New York and Colorado, then traveled around the world as a farmer. She worked in agriculture and landscape design in Southern California.
For the past five years, she has worked as a project manager at Farmer D Consulting. In this role, Gucker has traveled across the country, working on projects ranging from smaller homesteads to larger ranches, and spanning many different styles in farming, such as educational and hospitality farms, as well as religious community focused farms. Most recently, she founded Plena to assist with local farming projects in and around Mammoth Lakes.
“I feel uniquely well positioned for this both with my background in agriculture, years of designing and managing agricultural projects, and living here locally,” Gucker said. “I’m super excited to be working on a project that will benefit the local community. And to engage with my community in this way feels really special.”
ESAAP is looking for locals to fill out the following survey: https://www.plenaplanning.com/eastern-sierra-agriculture
