From the Battlefield to the Farm Field
Around the country, an increasing number of opportunities are helping military veterans transition to civilian life through farm programs and apprenticeships. In San Diego, a retired Marine has trained about 60 people returning from Iraq and Afghanistan through the Veteran Sustainable Agriculture Training program.
Continue reading Farm and Food News 2/3/12
This year, when people see New England vs. New York, they think about football. But here at American Farmland Trust we think about…. You guessed it—farmland! When it comes to having land with the ability to feed us, we need to keep New England and New York in the huddle.
Unfortunately, the home turf
Continue reading Why We Root for the Farm Team – Even During the Super Bowl
Within the world of an increasingly localized food movement, we are ever more familiar with buying a peck of heirloom apples, serving up a pound of grass-fed beef, decorating with a bouquet of seasonal flowers and adding a pinch or a dash of our local agricultural products to any meal.
A number of groups, including Wholesome
Continue reading Counting on Every Acre
Growing concerns about access to locally grown foods, public health issues and the conservation of natural resources recently converged in New York City at this year’s TEDx Manhattan. Among a diverse group including farmers, chefs, educators, environmentalists and local food advocates, I joined in for a day of idea sharing around the concept of “Changing
Continue reading Ideas on Farms and Food Come to the Big Apple
Future Faces of Farming
In 2011, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack called for 100,000 new farmers a year across the nation. In the foodshed surrounding Washington, D.C., a young generation of farmers—a diverse mix including educators, chefs and budding entrepreneurs—is rising to meet this challenge with the goal of strengthening the local farm and
Continue reading Farm and Food News 1/27/12
Farmers embrace conservation tillage
Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley are switching to conservation tillage at a fast pace. This increase in interest comes at a much needed time for farmers and the environment in California’s Central Valley. With a potential for reduced operating costs and improved soil composition, conservation tillage has many benefits.
Minnesota increases water
Continue reading Farm and Food News 1/20/12
Funds Available for Farmland Protection in Maine
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced that nearly $1 million will be available this year in Maine for successful applicants for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection program. The state deadline is March 23 for 2013 funding. For more information on deadlines in other states, visit
Continue reading Farm and Food News 1/13/12
Our passions emerge from our experiences. They reflect our values and drive our actions each and every day.
At American Farmland Trust, our work is rooted in a deep connection to farmland and a shared vision to save the land that sustains us. We want to hear from you about why you share this same passion.
Continue reading Sharing Stories: A Passion for Farms, Farmland and the Environment
Like any business owner or operator, farmers take careful consideration when making any changes to their operations. A change that may seem relatively simple to an outsider could require new equipment, more labor or a different response to heavy rain or drought. In the end the change may turn out to be a great success,
Continue reading What’s Risk Got to Do with It?: Encouraging On-Farm Conservation
Protect your teeth and save farmland
Tom Chappell of the environmentally conscious, natural body products company Tom’s of Maine has joined the farmland protection movement in a big way. Chappell recently worked with the Maine Farmland Trust to protect 154 acres of his own farmland from development, and he joined the organization’s campaign to protect 100,000
Continue reading Farm and Food News 1/6/12
