Thriving Farms and Ranches

America’s farms and ranches are the backbone of thriving communities. But right now, farmers and ranchers face unprecedented challenges and an unpredictable future. When agriculture struggles, rural communities struggle. And so does the nation and the world.

American Farmland Trust’s Thriving Farms and Ranches initiative is bringing together partners from across the nation to uplift and strengthen those who steward America’s working lands and bolster the resiliency of farms, ranches, and rural communities. Through this vital work, AFT is expanding direct support, advancing policies, and leveraging conservation tools to grow markets and enhance farm viability. The result: economically resilient farms and ranches that drive community economic development and invest in sound agricultural practices. Because when our farms thrive, America thrives.

Farmers are Essential

Farms and ranches provide food – and food security – for the nation. They are essential for healthy and equitable food systems. When farms and ranches are profitable, resilient, and supported, they can implement sound conservation practices that lead to cleaner water, healthier soil, improved wildlife habitat, and expanded working landscapes. Their success ripples outwards, fueling rural prosperity and stronger communities.

Farmers Face Unprecedented Challenges

Agriculture is a tough business. Politics, climate extremes, increased costs, pressures to sell, trade wars, and market volatility add up to an unpredictable future for America’s farmers and ranchers. In 2024, more than half of farm and ranch households reported negative farm income, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service, and 90% of farm families earn most of their income off-farm. As a result, we are losing small and mid-sized farmers, the average age of a farmer is increasing, and nearly 300 million acres of cropland — about one-third of all US farmland — are expected to change hands in the next 20 years. In the face of this crisis, AFT is committed to advancing farm viability, strengthening rural vitality, and doubling efforts to save the land that sustains us.

Thriving Farms and Ranches is leveraging AFT’s unique strengths to directly reach and assist farmers and ranchers while empowering peer professionals and partner organizations. Together, we are building a Thriving Farms and Ranches movement.

AFT is also elevating the voices of farmers and ranchers through compelling storytelling to engage supporters, policymakers, and other essential stakeholders in realizing AFT’s vision of a vibrant, regenerative, diverse, and financially strong agricultural sector, where more small, midsized, and underserved farms and ranches thrive.