Ben Kurtzman
National Agricultural Land Network Director and Senior Advisor
Ben directs the National Agricultural Land Network (NALN), which supports state and local governments, land trusts, agricultural service providers, planners, and conservation organizations and strengthens their capacity to advance farmland protection. In addition to hosting an online platform, distributing a network newsletter and producing dozens of virtual farmland protection roundtables and forums annually, the NALN leads planning for AFT’s national Saving America’s Working Lands Conference.
Kurtzman joined AFT in 2005 and has served in a variety of farmland protection roles. As Director of Land Protection Projects, he oversaw AFT’s in-house land trust function including the completion of 43 individual farmland protection projects totaling nearly 17,000 acres. In this role he developed and implemented new Easement Acquisition and BPS programs while overseeing all aspects of easement stewardship and fee land management activities, including AFT’s response to easement assignments, amendments and violations.
Prior to joining Land Protection Projects, Kurtzman spent 10 years with AFT’s Farmland Information Center, where he managed law and policy research and authored numerous research reports, fact sheets, and technical memoranda on farmland protection. In addition, he coordinated AFT’s annual surveys of State and Local PACE programs and tracked key state and federal legislation related to farmland protection. Kurtzman is a producer of “The Barber Farm,” an award-winning film documenting his in-laws’ efforts to protect their farm in Vermont. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of Vermont and holds a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University.
