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Like any business owner or operator, farmers take careful consideration when making any changes to their operations. A change that may seem relatively simple to an outsider could require new equipment, more labor or a different response to heavy rain or drought. In the end the change may turn out to be a great success, Continue reading What’s Risk Got to Do with It?: Encouraging On-Farm Conservation At year’s end, we often reflect on the many challenges and successes of the past year. In New York, we are thankful for the tremendous impact that farmers, citizens and others have made to support local farming and the production of local food. Across New York state, a movement is forming. People are coming together who Continue reading New York: A Year of Progress The Mid-Atlantic region is blessed with agricultural diversity, producing an array of food, fuel and fiber from Delaware to Virginia. The past year has been filled with both challenges and opportunities for farms and farmers. Inclement weather throughout much of growing season tested the patience of farmers across the region. State budget concerns brought discussions Continue reading Mid-Atlantic: A Year of Progress Producing one-eighth of all U.S. food and fiber—more than 300 different crops—on just three percent of its farmland, California is the nation’s biggest agricultural producer. It is also the most populous and fastest growing state. This combination presents considerable challenges for farms and farmland. This year, we worked with partners throughout the state to make significant Continue reading California: A Year of Progress When it comes to balancing a farmer’s need to grow healthy crops and preserve water quality, nitrogen—an important component of fertilizer—can be quite a “slippery fish.” Many factors influence how fertilizer cycles in and out of soil, water, plants and the air. The Nutrient BMP Challenge®, a risk management tool that American Farmland Trust Continue reading Catching the “Slippery Fish” on the Farm and Doing Good for Water Each year, the world comes together to recognize the importance of our fresh water by commemorating World Water Day. This year’s theme, “Water for Cities,” highlights the pressures that development places on our resources, a concern that is certainly familiar to farm fields in the United States. A significant amount of our best farm and ranch Continue reading An Everyday Approach to Improving Water Quality Fresh water across America is threatened by many sources, from manufacturing and waste treatment emissions to storm water drainage. Agriculture also plays a role—nutrient runoff from agriculture is a primary cause of degradation in two-thirds of our coastal waterways. But as the single largest user of land and water resources in America, farmers and ranchers can Continue reading A Pledge to Protect Our Nation’s Water This opinion piece was featured in The Delmarva Farmer. As a person involved in my family’s farm operation, a former EPA agricultural appointee, and the President of American Farmland Trust, an organization that supports farms and conservation, let me be the first to say that our nation faces serious environmental challenges and that agriculture has Continue reading Courtroom Drama Doesn’t Save the Chesapeake Bay Our nation’s coastal waters are vital resources to the local economies along their shores; they contain habitats rich with life and are welcomed destinations for many a traveler. But a recent report released by the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy warns of a bleak future for these areas and the delicate ecosystems Continue reading Helping Farmers Address the Problem of Hypoxia in Our Coastal Waters This week, Jim Baird, Mid-Atlantic Director of American Farmland Trust (center, with plaque), donated 945 nutrient credits worth over $4,000 to the Lancaster Farmland Trust, a big step in our long-term goal of helping farmers reduce nutrient run-off into the Chesapeake Bay. The credits were generated by three Lancaster County farmers who participated in our Best Continue reading BMP Challenge: Helping Farmers Clean Up the Chesapeake Bay |
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