The National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) released a report entitled “Farmland Conservation 2.0: How Land Trusts Can Save America’s Working Farms.” The report outlines the ways that current farmland conservation practices are failing to keep land in production and farmland affordable to farmers. The report highlights innovative farmland conservation models and reinforces Equity Trust’s message of the importance of keeping farms working and land affordable. Finally, the report recommends policy reforms and urges land trusts to provide leadership on the issue and work with young and beginning farmers.
Equity Trust is pleased to be collaborating with the NYFC in offering guidance to land trusts around the country on methods for preserving permanently affordable working farms. Lindsey Lusher Shute, a farmer at Hearty Roots CSA in Clermont, Columbia County, NY and co-founder and Director of the NYFC, and Equity Trust Director Jim Oldham co-presented on the topic of affordable farms (together with Vermont Land Trust and Scenic Hudson) at the Land Trust Alliance Rally in September.
October 1, 2013