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Emily Cole, PhD, is a soil scientist with 15 years of experience supporting farmers through on-farm technical assistance, conservation planning, and agricultural policy leadership. Most recently, she served as the USDA Farm Service Agency State Executive Director for Connecticut from 2022 to 2025. Prior to her tenure at USDA, Emily was the New England Regional Deputy Director for American Farmland Trust, where she played a key role in developing the region’s Climate and Agriculture Program and AFT’s early Smart Solar programming.

Emily brings deep technical expertise in soil health management, agrivoltaics, and farm viability. She led the development of NRCS’s Conservation Guidance for Utility-Scale Solar Projects and co-chaired the USDA-DOE Joint Clean Energy Working Group in 2024.

She specializes in Soil Health Management, Agrivoltaics, and Farm Viability, working at the intersection of conservation, clean energy, and agricultural sustainability.

Through AFT’s Consults Program, Emily provides expertise in Project Review and Assessment (both Smart Solar and Program-Specific), Agrivoltaic Farm Planning, Soil Health Management Planning, and On-Site Research Development or Project Review.

Emily holds a Ph.D. in Plant and Soil Sciences from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where her research focused on improving soil health on farmland in the Connecticut River Valley. She also earned an M.A. in Science Education from Boston University and a B.A. in Chemistry from Kenyon College.