As the competition for land in America intensifies, communities are searching for answers to questions about managing growth and sustaining local agriculture. How much land should be conserved? What kind of farming practices should be encouraged in rural areas? How can ranchers keep their agricultural businesses viable?

To help answer these important questions, American Farmland Trust educates land trusts, farmers, land use planners, agricultural advisors, elected officials and other stakeholders about how to plan for agriculture, improve the economic viability of farming and ranching, and support environmental stewardship. With more than 25 years of experience, AFT will help you create effective programs to save farms and ranches.

our products and services

Guidebooks
AFT creates landowner and community-friendly guidebooks that provide an overview of conservation programs, the farmland protection toolbox, conservation-based estate planning and other topics.

Brochures
After completing an economic study, conducting a poll or developing a series of maps, don’t let your project results sit on the shelf. AFT can write and produce a brochure that highlights the key findings from the project, enabling you to motivate people in your community to save agricultural land.

Workbooks
AFT develops training workbooks to add value to workshops, seminars and other educational events. The workbooks can include fact sheets and PowerPoint slides about farmland protection techniques, case studies of successful policies and programs, lists of resources and contacts, research papers, farmland maps and more. The information educates those attending the workshops or other events and provides them knowledge to share with others.

Educational Sessions
AFT can organize a complete educational event or focus on a specific component of a program. Services include creating curriculum, developing handouts or making presentations for a seminar, evening meeting, multi-day bus tour, conference or train-the-trainer workshops. We also coordinate participation by other experts—farmland program administrators, farmers and landowners who have protected their land—to provide specific perspectives. Topics include:

• Planning for agriculture: Learn how to develop a comprehensive plan for agriculture that includes land use techniques that keep land available and affordable for farming, as well as tools that ensure agricultural operations are economically viable and environmentally sustainable.
• The farmland protection toolbox: Find out how to create a variety of incentive-based and regulatory programs and policies (e.g., agricultural conservation zoning and purchase of development rights programs) for protecting working land. Sessions can be basic or advanced, ranging from an explanation of what is in the toolbox to case studies of how programs are structured, administered and funded.
• Conservation-based estate planning: Owners of private land can play a significant role in protecting your community’s agricultural assets. Learn the latest information about estate planning, easement donations, special use valuation and life insurance as an estate planning tool, as well as additional strategies to save private land.
• Easement stewardship: Conservation easements are only effective when they are enforced appropriately. Learn how to establish an efficient stewardship system so your easements will last in perpetuity, as well as how to ward off easement violations and ensure compliance when violations do occur.
• The benefits of agricultural land: Learn about the environmental, economic, aesthetic and other benefits of farms and ranches. Find out what resources (e.g., maps and surveys) are available to illustrate the importance of working land in your community.

For more information on AFT's services, contact Jane Kirchner at 202-378-1231 or jkirchner@farmland.org.