AFT Applauds Introduction of the Bipartisan American Food Supply Chain Resiliency Act
American Farmland Trust (AFT) applauds Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature for enacting a final FY 2026–27 state budget that delivers meaningful, sustained investments in farmland protection, farm viability, climate resilience, and local food systems across New York.
American Farmland Trust has named Julia Valliant as Director of the national Farms for a New Generation team, where she will lead efforts to increase access to land and capital for the rising generation of farmers and ranchers and support elder farmers and landowners in transferring their farms with dignity and confidence.
AFT Applauds Introduction of the Bipartisan American Food Supply Chain Resiliency Act
Highlighting a recent policy update that offers a perspective on our work to advance farmland protection and support agricultural viability across Washington State in 2026.
AFT celebrates National School Breakfast Week and Farm to School programs in New York
Caro is AFT New England’s Soil Health Program Manager, where she organizes farmer networks, provides technical support, and conducts research on agricultural practices and soil health. From perennial gardens to peer learning spaces, her work is rooted in connection — to land, farmers, and community. Read on to learn what she’s planting this spring and the farm lessons that continue to shape her work.
Sunday Bell Farm is responding to extreme weather by improving soil health, water planning, and pasture management. With guidance from AFT’s PARCC program, the Vermont dairy and livestock farm is developing strategies to stay productive in a changing climate.
Read on how American Farmland Trust, alongside a growing group of partners, is leading the effort to develop federal policies to address PFAS risk and contamination in agricultural land across the nation.
American Farmland Trust and regional partners hosted our second Learning Circle for women farmers and ranchers on Nov. 23, 2025, at the Rusted Gate Farm in Central Point, Oregon. Women for the Land Learning Circles support women in agriculture to gather in community, share farm experiences, and learn together.
The Governor’s Summit on Agricultural Viability in Idaho brought together landowners and leaders of Idaho agribusiness, academia, conservation, development, community organizations, and government to examine the challenges facing Idaho’s working lands and to identify practical solutions for the future.
Upcoming webinars and training aimed to support farmers in exploring agrivoltaics in the Northeast.
Solar grazing is reshaping how energy and agriculture share the land — with benefits for farmers, soils, and solar developers alike.
Lia Raz
American Farmland Trust (AFT) has launched a new video spotlighting women and nonbinary farmers across Massachusetts who are leading the way in regenerative agriculture and soil health.
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American Farmland Trust (AFT) and Cargill partnered to create educational videos for corn and soybean farmers interested in adopting soil health practices, including cover crops, reduced tillage, and nutrient management. Both AFT and Cargill recognize that a major barrier to the adoption of soil health is knowledge of technical details, like cover crop species selection or termination options, and understanding the potential costs and benefits for their operation.
Kinzie Reiss
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Since starting with American Farmland Trust in June, I have worked with farmers across the state of Illinois through our Farmer-Led Advances in Soil Health (FLASH) program. Attending the FLASH group meetings, I’ve met many passionate conservationists dedicated to protecting farmland for future generations, a sentiment very personal and important to me. I grew up in Ramsey, a small town in south-central Illinois. My family has been farming in the area since around the 1850s; my great-grandmother grew up on the same farm as I did. My dad still farms the land, maintaining an operation of corn, soybeans, and beef cattle.
Morgan Cauble
Over five years, seven Vermont dairy farmers built a tight-knit farmer-led learning cohort that became a practical space to compare approaches, troubleshoot challenges, and try new grazing and business-planning ideas.
Lia Raz
“A lot of the "magic" in a farmers market is the unique bond that's formed between the producer and consumer. Questions are asked, "aha" moments are had, and you leave each stand with not just a product or a sale, but a purpose. THAT is invaluable.”
Jenna Farineau & Liz Amodeo
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In August, AFT’s Midwest team program staff completed the Soil & Water Conservation Society’s Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) and attended the 80th Soil and Water Conservation Society’s Annual Conference in Costa Mesa, California. Midwest staff Rachel Lechuga, Floreal Crubaugh, and Marlee Giacometti are AFT’s most recent graduates of the second class of the Emerging Leaders Program (fun fact: Helen VanBeck, our Midwest Program Manager) graduated from the first-ever program. Here’s a look back at what the program meant to them and the snapshots that capture their achievements.
Rachel Lechuga
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Rachel Irvine
On a thin strip of land between two hayfields in Walpole, New Hampshire, a once-impenetrable wall of invasive plants is being transformed into pollinator-friendly hedgerow. Where bittersweet, honeysuckle, and multiflora rose once dominated, clover is now blooming, pollinators are returning, and the sunlight can actually reach the soil. This remarkable change has been fueled by the passion and persistent work of Holly and her family at Brookfield Farm, powered in part by a Regenerative Livestock Farming (RLF) microgrant from American Farmland Trust.
Lia Raz
High Lawn Farm has been raising Jersey cows in Lee, Massachusetts, for over 100 years. The cows have always had access to pasture, but until recently, the farm relied on continuous grazing. That began to change when the farm received a Regenerative Livestock Farming (RLF) microgrant from American Farmland Trust. The funds helped them fence off 20 acres of previously idle land, giving their dry cows access to fresh, well-rested pasture—and creating space for true rotational grazing for the first time.
Lia Raz
Michael Shulman
Michael Shulman
We dig deeper into one way of quantifying how well practices address the SWAPA-E resources concerns. We turn our attention to another set of three practices: Tree/Shrub Planting, Prescribed Grazing, and Conservation Cover
Michelle Perez, PhD
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