January 10th, 2022
By Michael Shulman
Amanda Cather Joins AFT as Mid-Atlantic Program Manager
Washington, D.C. – Amanda Cather joins American Farmland Trust today as Mid-Atlantic Program Manager, where she will oversee regional projects that protect healthy soil, clean water and wildlife habitat; transition land to a new generation of farmers and help them adopt regenerative agricultural practices; inspire new efforts to protect farmland; accelerate solar energy while strengthening farming; and promote farm viability.
Cather, who has over 25 years of experience in farming, joins AFT from Maryland’s Million Acre Challenge (MAC) where she oversaw and coordinated efforts to achieve soil health and regenerative agriculture on one million acres in the state by 2030. As she transitions to AFT, Cather leaves MAC in a strong position to continue the work she spearheaded as the collaborative’s first project director. Cather is also owner and operator of Plow and Stars Farm in Montgomery County Maryland, a small family farm where she raises pastured lamb, eggs and poultry.
“I welcome the opportunity to continue working with our region’s farmers and landowners to help build a resilient, regenerative food system in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Cather. “The chance to be a part of a strategic initiative focused on regenerative agriculture in the region will draw on all that I’ve learned with the Million Acre Challenge and on my own farm.”
Cather has most recently worked in the Mid-Atlantic region, yet has a wide array of experience farming from the west to northeast as farm manager at Hedgerow Farm in Colorado and Waltham Fields Community Farm in Massachusetts to an urban grower at The Food Project in Massachusetts. Her depth and breadth of farming experience and national background will be an invaluable asset to AFT, according to AFT Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Jamie Mierau.
“Amanda has a deep understanding of agriculture and conservation issues in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond – from her personal experience as a farmer, to her time leading a farmer focused collaborative to advance soil health and regenerative agriculture practices, to managing charitable farms and environmental educational programs for youth,” said Mierau. “We look forward to Amanda bringing her leadership to our growing team and building new partnerships and strengthening efforts across the region.”
###
American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.