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Hansen Trust board advises UC to sell the farm

The Hansen Trust advisory board has recommended that UC sell the historic Faulkner Farm in Santa Paula because it has become too expensive to maintain, according to a article in today's Ventura County Star.

The farm now houses the UC Hansen Agricultural Center, named for Ms. Thelma Hansen. She left almost all of her family's estate -- nearly $12 million -- to the University of California when she passed away in 1993 to benefit and sustain local agriculture through research and education. In 1997, funds from the trust were used to purchase the 27-acre Faulkner Farm.

The stately Faulkner House, built in 1894 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the facility's centerpiece. Designed in the Queen Ann style, the house has a basement, two main living floors and a finished room in the tower. A large red barn on the Faulkner property was built in 1886.

John Krist, a member of the Hansen Trust advisory board and chief executive officer of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, said the trust has not been able to carry out its mission with Faulkner Farm, according to the article. Only 10 percent of the trust’s $1 million annual budget now directly supports education and research, he said.

The article said UC administrators will have the final say on the sale, a decision that is expected to take several months.


An aerial view of the Faulkner Farm.
An aerial view of the Faulkner Farm.

Posted on Friday, July 23, 2010 at 7:42 AM

Comments:

1.
5/12/15 I am G W Faulkner's Great-Granddaughter and was glad Thelma.s Trust was going to keep farming in the community. So many small towns give way to strip malls or mass housing.Santa Paula is the citrus capital of the world right? So why cannot the trustees put farming in the classroom & in the field.. Why can't the future farmers work with local schools & Rotary to help the farm & help the community. Why can't you use the upkeep and restoration needs to teach the soon to be lost building techniques. It seems like a win win for all. The farm gets its needs met & the students learn sustainable farming & carpentry.When the farm was purchased the needs of upkeep had to be known. Perhaps the acquisition was far more important than the needs of students and community after all.Every house,barn etc. has upkeep now you whine about it like its new to you. Which is it, you want to keep farming alive and well or you don't. You want to teach or you want fame and fortune. I saw this as an opportunity for all. Now I wonder

Posted by Barbara Courtemanche on May 12, 2015 at 6:02 PM

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