The National Young Farmers Coalition is a national organization of young farmers working on policy advocacy, building networks, and providing business services to ensure all young farmers have the chance to succeed.
Equity Trust has worked closely with NYFC for almost a decade to promote affordable land access for farmers and strategies for preserving working farms. Between 2014 and 2018, we collaborated to offer a series of Land Access Innovations Trainings, both regional and national, for farmers and conservation professionals.
NYFC’s website features a library of reports, case studies, and guidebooks, including “Farmland Conservation 2.0: How Land Trusts Can Save America’s Working Farms.”
NYFC leads state and federal policy campaigns on a variety of issues faced by young farmers. At the top of the list is land access. In 2018, as a result of advocacy spearheaded by NYFC, New York enacted legislation, the “Working Farm Protection Act,” making farm affordability protections of the sort pioneered by Equity Trust eligible for funding under New York State’s agricultural easement program. The campaign’s success was aided by the on-the-ground examples provided by Equity Trust’s Hudson Valley Farm Affordability Program.