A New Blog, A New Vision for Agriculture

Hello Everyone,

As President of American Farmland Trust (AFT), it is my pleasure to launch  the Farmland Report, our new blog.  We are excited to continue our role as a vital link among farmers, conservationists, policy-makers and consumers, via the Farmland Report.

Here at AFT, we’re currently working on a vast number of agriculture issues around the country: protecting America’s irreplaceable farm and ranch land, helping farmers combat climate change and improve water quality, and growing local food economies that sustain local farms and farmers while strengthening America’s food and farming system.  This blog will certainly be a discussion of our work on these issues, but also on the issues as a whole, and how progressive decisions can positively affect the entire nation, on and off the farm.

As I said in AFT’s most recent issue of American Farmland magazine, “agriculture is the original green economy.”  Whether adopting new soil conservation techniques following the Dustbowl, or working with scientists on the latest innovations in crop hybridization, the ability of farmers to adopt new innovations and technology has been integral to their economic viability and our reliance on them for food, feed, fuel and fiber.  Now with such challenges as, a changing climate, a rapidly growing global population, and dwindling fossil fuels, farmers will again be reshaping their operations to meet the challenges ahead.

But with great challenges, comes great opportunities.  At AFT, we see these challenges as opportunities for farmers to use innovation, technology and the regenerative power of nature to produce a range of green goods and services in a manner that is productive, sustainable and profitable.  Couple that with farmland protection efforts and more robust local food systems and agriculture will emerge as a true cornerstone of America’s emerging green economy.

So, just as farmers work on their operations each day with an eye to the future, I hope you will install this blog into your daily life, to learn more about the importance of America’s farm and ranch land and a vibrant agricultural sector.  AFT has a grand vision for how farms and ranches can ensure a sustainable future and we hope you will join the conversation….see you next Monday.

About the Author: Jon Scholl is President of American Farmland Trust. Prior to AFT, he served as Counselor to the Administrator for Agriculture Policy at the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  Jon and his family operate a corn and soybean farm in McLean County, Illinois.