Thanksgiving is a celebration of bounty, friends and family. It is a time to share gratitude for many things, including the farmers and ranchers that provide the nation with food, fuel and fiber. What often goes unexpressed is the connection between the food on the table and the land necessary to produce it.

Farmland is one of our greatest resources, yet America’s best working lands are threatened by sprawling development. Farms closest to our cities, and directly in the path of development, produce much of our fresh food—an astounding 91 percent of our fruit and 78 percent of our vegetables.

Earlier this week, President Barack Obama announced November 18 to 24, 2011 as National Farm-City Week, serving as a testament to the contributions that farmers and ranchers—and the land they steward—make to the nation. He proclaimed:

“With tenacity, resilience, and humility, our farmers and ranchers have helped drive our Nation’s growth for generations. Season after season, their careful stewardship and dedication brings an abundance of wholesome food, plentiful fiber, a stronger economy, and new opportunities to secure our clean energy future. During National Farm-City Week, we celebrate the essential contributions of farmers and ranchers to our country’s well-being and recommit to a prosperous and sustainable future for American agriculture…

“As we gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving, let us pay tribute to the men and women whose hard work brought the bounty we find before us from farm to fork.”*

The well-deserved recognition of the critical role farmers and ranchers play also signifies the necessity to keep land in agriculture and to keep farmers farming. Though National Farm-City Week comes to a close on Thanksgiving Day, it needn’t be the end of a national reflection on the critical connection among food, farmers, and the land.  As we often say at American Farmland Trust: “No Farms, No Food^®.” Our vision is one of U.S. towns and cities surrounded by healthy farms with thriving networks in place to ensure an economically sustainable future for farmers and ranchers while making fresh food from farm fields to the table a reality for everyone.

About the author: Katherine “Kitty” Smith is Vice President of Programs and Chief Economist at American Farmland Trust. She previously served as Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, has served on several United Nations Expert Panels, and chaired the Organization of International Cooperation and Development’s Joint Working Party on Agriculture and Environment.

It is an interesting time for agriculture. There is more demand than ever for healthy, fresh, local food. Consumers take more pride than ever in knowing their farmers, considering the seasonality of vegetables and trying new foods. The move toward local food and conscientious consumption is certainly to be commended, but it may not solve our long-term economic, social or agricultural needs. Despite the growing momentum and power of the “new food movement” and the “slow food revolution,” too few of us take action beyond what we put in our shopping bags and on our dinner tables. Technology, investment, conservation practices, policy and infrastructure are all pointing to ways that all of us, as consumers and citizens, can do a better job at supporting American farmers in producing seasonal, affordable and healthy foods. To create sustainable communities we need to build a food system that will further supply future generations with viable opportunities in farming and agriculture.

What is it going to take to save the land that sustains us and allow for the future of agriculture to thrive?

Save, Create and Maintain Farmland

It may sound overly simplistic, but the future of agriculture depends largely on the creation and maintenance of farmland. Even with the increased use of farm technology like vertical farming and hydroponics, the majority of our agricultural products—from carrots to corn syrup—can be traced to our land. And though it may seem obvious that we should preserve this land, development has been devouring our farmland at the rate of more than an acre per minute. In the midst of this development fervor, demand for local produce is increasing and there are plans in some states, such as Connecticut, to increase the demand for local food from one  to five percent. This growth has agriculture and food producers, distributors, and experts debating whether or not there is enough land to support even this seemingly small increase in local consumption. It has been estimated, using a crop-by-crop production average, that an acre of farmland can produce 10,642 pounds of produce per year, so with the world population on the rise—seven billion and counting—every acre counts.

Develop Technology and Good Farming Practices

Food production already relies heavily on technology and will continue to do so as the need for food increases. Though technology alone is no cure all, it must play an important role in the future of food production in this country. We should be funding and supporting research as well as building critical partnerships that explore agricultural methods and technologies so that we can keep our working lands productive into the future.

Design Infrastructure and Policy

Our infrastructure and distribution chains are better able to deal with longer supply chains than shorter, more localized, supply chains. To move food from Australia to any mid-sized city in America is easy, but to move food from farms to nearby cities is far from simple. American Farmland Trust is proud to maintain our strong leadership position in educating stakeholders about the 2012 Farm Bill, including the short- and long-term implications that policies at every level bring to bear on what we eat, how much our food costs, where we can buy it, and why farmers grow what they grow. Our efforts in addressing these issues focus on the collaboration among consumers, farmers, researchers, politicians and policy makers.

Shift Our Thinking Beyond the Plate

With a global spotlight on sustainable food systems, the good news is that the timing could not be better to rethink our approaches to farming and agriculture. The burgeoning energy and interest in supporting local food cultures is forming a groundswell and providing a perfect opportunity to look beyond individual consumer habits: thinking beyond the plate. Certainly, that will include eating and promoting locally grown foods. It will also mean valuing agriculture as a way of life, ensuring economic viability of farming and promoting agriculture. It means understanding farmers as having an irreplaceable place in our economic systems as well as honoring the role that they play as stewards of our quality of life and landscape. This shift will ultimately require that we let go of nostalgia and acknowledge that small farms are already major economic players in our communities.

We have an unprecedented opportunity to put agriculture at the heart of economic development and healthy community development. Ensuring local food in our communities for the future will mean creating regulations that promote and support agriculture; planning that integrates agriculture into healthy and livable cities; management practices that produce the best food possible and keep our soils and waters healthy for the long haul; and regulations that support and foster the diversity of agriculture including orchards and vegetables, flowers, plants and trees, aquaculture, dairy and value-added products. Ultimately, this means thinking differently about agriculture and its role in our families, communities and economies. Thinking beyond the plate means asking not only how to make agriculture a thriving industry, but also remembering that we are unlikely to have thriving communities without really rethinking our relationship to agriculture.

Please share: What are your thoughts on how we can support America’s working landscape beyond the plate?

About the Author: Leah Mayor is the Working Lands Alliance Project Director and New England Project Manager at American Farmland Trust where she focuses on policy, outreach, and education about the importance of farmland protection in Connecticut and the Northeast. Mayor is the founder and principal of Taking Root, and also blogs about food and agricultural systems for a number of online platforms, including the Huffington Post.

Walmart Aims to Make Fresh Produce More Affordable By Reducing Transportation Costs

The giant retailer announced Thursday that it would aim to bring down the price of fresh produce by making serious changes to the supply chain, specifically reducing costs in areas such as transportation.

Iowa Proposes Innovative Plan to Boost Local Food Economy

The Iowa Local Food & Farm Plan outlines 34 recommendations as part of a directive from the 2010 Legislature to increase local food production by diversifying existing farm operations and creating jobs in the food and farm sector, keeping dollars in the local community.

House Ag Committee Ranking Member Peterson Announces Committee Democrats

The Democratic Caucus named 20 Democrats, including 13 returning members and seven new members, to the House Agriculture Committee during the 112^th Congress.

Michigan Farm Bequeathed to American Farmland Trust Sets Aside $2.9M for Michigan Farmland Protection

A 660-acre farm in Michigan, bequeathed to American Farmland Trust, was recently sold, establishing the Owen and Ellen Love Family Farmland Protection Fund in honor of the legacy of farmland protection promoted by the fund’s namesakes. Loans will be available to local units of government and land trusts for projects to protect agricultural land in the state of Michigan.

New York Farm Viability Institute Gets Push for Funding From Ag Groups

At the Empire State Council of Agricultural organizations meeting, representatives of many of New York State’s largest agricultural organizations discussed their 2011 priorities, placing financial support for the New York Farm Viability Institute at the top of the list. This goal was established as an effort to foster the retention of farmland and complete a number of ongoing projects involving farmers throughout the state.

Dairy Experts Predict Modest Recovery in 2011

According to a Wisconsin report released Wednesday, milk prices could continue to edge upward this year, but that this would not translate into significant profits for farmers, at least not early on, because of a spike in the price of corn used to feed dairy cows.

The New York Agricultural Society Honors John Lincoln

John Lincoln, the former president of the New York Farm Bureau for 14 years, was recently presented the highest honor by the New York State Agricultural Society. Lincoln helped get the state to pass farmland protection programs and various other initiatives.

American Farmland Trust has fought to protect farmland in the Midwest for 27 years.  Sometimes called America’s breadbasket, the Midwest is blessed with prime farmland soils that are the envy of the world, but we know we can’t afford to take these priceless resources for granted.  That’s why we’ve been hard at work in this important region, and have made significant progress over the past year.  Here are a few highlights:

Protecting Crops While Enhancing the Environment

Over half of the horseradish in the United States is grown in Illinois.  Another 20 percent is grown in Wisconsin.  The industry has been facing a growing threat from fungal diseases that discolor the horseradish root and cause significant yield losses.  AFT is working with the Environmental Protection Agency to invest in integrated pest management strategies that help producers protect their crops from pests while enhancing the environment—and it is paying off!  Together we’ve helped many Midwest farmers protect their crops through healthy, sustainable integrated pest management practices.  

Securing the Economic Viability of Farms
Imagine a strategy to provide a profitable future for farmers and farmland.  That’s exactly what AFT is doing in conjunction with the Chicago Metropolitan Planning Commission’s GOTO2040 plan, which was recently ratified by counties surrounding Chicago, Illinois.  This regional plan is guiding future growth and promoting dialogue between the many stakeholders, thanks to AFT’s involvement!

Improving Water Quality for Our Communities

In August, AFT presented an overview of water quality trading to key agricultural stakeholder groups in the Raccoon River watershed in northwestern Iowa.  We were also asked to help design a state farmland protection program. Our goal is to preserve the agricultural land and reduce nutrient loading in Iowa watersheds in cost-effective ways. To learn more, watch the Water Quality Trading tutorial.

The Rewards of Environmental Stewardship

We conducted four listening sessions on water quality trading with Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky producers.  The audiences were receptive and had a desire to move forward to establish markets where wastewater treatment plants and industries facing expensive infrastructure upgrades can purchase water quality credits from farmers.  The intent is to meet new water quality standards and help farmers install conservation practices at a lower cost to achieve even better results. 

Helping Wisconsin Farmers

Following the enactment of Wisconsin’s Working Lands Initiative in June 2010, AFT is now helping spread the word to achieve a smooth implementation of the new land preservation tools now available to Wisconsin farmers.

More exciting projects now underway:

In August 2010, AFT started an ambitious three-year $1.5M project in the Upper Salt Fork watershed near Champaign, Illinois, to help its 120 farmers significantly reduce the run-off of nutrients and soil into the Mississippi River Basin.  By the end of September, AFT, in collaboration with key partners (the Champaign County Soil and Water Conservation District and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service), had signed up 22 farmers to implement nutrient reduction conservation practices on nearly 4,000 acres of the 27,000-acre watershed for the 2011 growing season.

AFT, along with the IPM Institute, the Sandusky River Watershed Coalition and Heidelberg College, just took on the challenge of helping farmers in the Sandusky River watershed in North Central Ohio keep soil and nutrients out of Lake Erie.  Unique to this project, we’re focused on helping those farmers who manage critically undertreated acres that could benefit greatly from conservation practices.

The Conservation Marketplace of Minnesota is now up and running, thanks to AFT and our local and regional partners.  The CCM offers a market-driven approach to assist landowners and agricultural producers in their efforts to implement conservation practices through the generation of environmental credits.

Farm policy reform particularly impacts the Midwestern states since most of our farmers are enrolled in farm programs.  We are actively researching issues, planning for listening sessions with producers and identifying partners as we gear up for the 2012 Farm Bill and develop recommendations to improve this key piece of federal farm legislation. 

Anita Zurbrugg is AFT’s Midwest Director, Center for Agriculture in the Environment, where she combines two roles: conducting policy research and directing programs in the Midwest.

Food and water are our most basic human needs, and therefore clean water and well-managed farms are integral to healthy, thriving communities. 

To keep our water clean, each and every one of us has a role to play.  For those of us in the Mid-Atlantic, the Chesapeake Bay is a special treasure and helping our farmers implement healthy farming practices is a key solution to achieving this goal.

Bay region farmers have done a lot in the last 20 years to protect our water by making changes in how they farm and manage land.  For instance, they have reduced soil loss by 64 percent. However, adopting healthy farming practices is expensive and some high-cost investments don’t help their bottom-line.  Therefore, these barriers, in addition to inflexible regulation, cause some farmers to risk going out of business.  So, if we are asking farmers to protect their land and steward our water, we have to provide them with low-cost, flexible ways to do so.

That’s why AFT has been actively engaging farmers and their advisors in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia to accelerate the adoption of farm conservation practices, develop policies that balance farm viability with real progress on clean water, and bring greater emphasis in the public on the synergies between farmland preservation and water quality protection.

For example, through our Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Initiative we are helping 29 corn, grain and dairy farmers in the three bay states try out Best Management Practices (BMP) risk-free, backed by our BMP Challenge risk guarantee program (18 producers in the Middle and Lower Susquehanna watershed of Pennsylvania, seven in the Upper Eastern Shore of Maryland and four in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia).  Our efforts this year have resulted in:

1) Recruitment of new conservation practices (manure incorporation, phosphorous reduction) along with nitrogen reduction, which have resulted in 126,657 fewer pounds of nitrogen in local waters; and

2) A successful integration with the farm bill’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to support the BMP Challenge. 

These projects will continue to influence our 2012 Farm Bill policy work over the next two years.

About the Author: Jim Baird is Mid-Atlantic Director for the American Farmland Trust where he works to help maintain viable farms and clean water through the adoption of nutrient-related conservation practices and ensuring that farmer concerns are reflected in policy and program discussions.

According to preliminary media accounts, the mid-term elections may have broken voter turnout records. Clearly the American people are engaged in politics and are looking for leadership on the issues that are important to them. We congratulate those new members of Congress who won elections and are fortunate enough to come to Washington to represent their constituents. We look forward to our continued work with both members of Congress and the administration on issues that are on everyone’s agenda: clean water and air, healthy food and a sustainable future for America’s farms.

While the results of this election changed the make-up of Congress, what hasn’t changed is a number of serious challenges facing U.S. agriculture, from the need to address the loss of farmland, and the overall health of our working lands and water, to keeping our farms economically viable. We face all of these issues at a time when our federal budget is under considerable strain.

One of the biggest opportunities to address these issues is coming up almost immediately—the 2012 Farm Bill. AFT is continuing the leadership it has provided over the years, most recently during the 2008 Farm Bill process, to seek farm policies that better serve farmers, consumers and will help U.S. agriculture maintain a competitive edge in a global economy.

We’re eager to work with Congress to craft appropriate policies in the next farm bill. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t want to help farmers when they do experience a real loss, and prevent them from being whip-sawed by the risks inherent in agriculture.

During the last farm bill, AFT worked to modernize the safety net system by helping to create the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program that both better manages farmers’ risks and ensures that they only receive payments when demonstrating a loss. As taxpaying families tighten their belts, and our nation faces tough budgetary times, having a government program that supports farmers when they really need it, but only when they need it, is important. ACRE is off to a good start. ACRE’s eligibility requirements ensure that payments are made only when real losses are suffered, not when bureaucratic formulas trigger blind payments under old programs.

We also deeply believe that it’s time to build on our nation’s decades long commitment to the conservation of natural resources. The conservation title of the farm bill helps to improve the soil, water and air of over half the land base of our country—the land owned by America’s farmers and ranchers. These producers steward and maintain these strategic national resources—resources we depend on for food, fiber, renewable energy and environmental services.

The next farm bill can help improve our nation’s partnership with agriculture and push conservation further—as it has every farm bill for over two decades now—and address a number of serious questions, including: How can we improve the adoption of conservation practices? How can we create financial opportunities for producers as they protect wildlife, preserve our soils and clean our water and air?

We don’t produce enough fresh fruits and vegetables in the United States for everyone to eat a balanced and nutritious diet. In fact, it is estimated that we need at least another 13 million acres of farmland growing fruits and vegetables just for Americans to meet the minimum daily requirement of fruits and vegetables set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2005 dietary guidelines. Forward looking policies in the new farm bill can insure we are on the right path to stem the loss of farmland and invest in measures to enhance the production of produce and specialty crops.

Finally, the farm bill can act as a tremendous lever to open up new markets and new income streams for our nations farming and ranching families. We view the next farm bill as a real chance to use government as a partner to spur on private investment and job growth.

The farm bill of course is only one vehicle to address these issues, and I look forward to meeting new members of Congress who can help tackle these challenges while creating sustainable opportunities for one of America’s most important economic sectors —agriculture.

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.

Our new Guide to Environmental Markets for Farmers and Ranchers explains how producers can sell environmental services generated on their farms while continuing their normal farming operations.

Click for PDF of Guide

The guide explains the current status of these markets and opportunities that exist for farmers and ranchers — what these markets can be worth, what must be done to sell services, and who is buying. It also provides practical guidance on how to participate, along with a comprehensive list of potential buyers, informational websites, other literature, and key government agencies for those interested in learning more.  The guide is focused on Washington State, but can be applicable for farmers and ranchers across the country.

Often considered a new idea with puzzling details, markets for environmental benefits have been operating in the United States for many years.  However, recent developments have increased their potential as sources of on-farm income.  This is big news since most active farms and ranches are already preserving and generating environmental benefits. Now, with environmental markets, it is possible to buy and sell these benefits in the form of credits generated from such environmental activities as restoring wetlands, improving water quality or storing carbon.

Typically, farm landowners will be able to take advantage of these markets without removing land from agriculture. In those instances where land may be required to produce credits that could otherwise be devoted to growing crops or raising livestock, this guide suggests ways to minimize that result. And it highlights opportunities to generate environmental market credits that can be produced side-by-side with traditional agricultural practices, rather than circumstances where farms and ranches are taken out of production for environmental restoration — resulting in a vibrant agriculture economy alongside a healthy ecosystem, not one or the other.

If you are in the Washington area, join us this November for one of our six evening workshops across the state to help explain how to use these markets—either as a way to earn extra income or as a new source of funding for land stewardship projects. The workshops are designed for farmers and ranchers, conservation district staff and supervisors, NRCS personnel, Extension staff, land stewardship professionals and anyone else who is interested. Each workshop participant will receive a printed copy of the new guide and the opportunity to get answers to questions about specific project possibilities that might be able to secure funding from these new sources.

Regardless of where you are, please do explore our Guide to Environmental Markets for Farmers and Ranchers and familiarize yourself with this exciting opportunity for farmers and ranchers.

About the author:  Don Stuart is the Pacific Northwest Director for American Farmland Trust.

Water quality in the Chesapeake Bay needs to be improved. To be sustainable for the future, the people of this region need to figure out how to live, work, farm and recreate in ways that allow the Chesapeake estuary to function and thrive.

Contrary to the opinions of some, maintaining well-managed farms and private forests is an essential part of the solution. Essential, rather than optional, because farm soils improve water quality through filtration; because farmers can achieving pollution reductions more cheaply than sewage treatment plants or urban residents; and because agriculture does all this while contributing more to the region’s economy than any other single sector.

The forthcoming Bay-wide TMDL will require deep reductions in nutrients and sediment, and present significant changes to farmers and every other Bay resident and business.

Bi-partisan legislation in the both House and the Senate has come through an often contentious and heated debate, with important policy and program tools help all of us to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization & Improvement Act was introduced in the House by Congressmen Holden (D-PA) and Goodlatte (R-VA), and passed out of the Agriculture Committee on unanimous voice vote. Rep. Holden worked hard to craft legislation that is responsive to the concerns of the agriculture community, recognizes their positive contributions, and helps set reasonable environmental goals for agriculture.

The second bill, The Chesapeake Clean Water & Ecosystem Restoration Act of 2009, authored by Senator Cardin (D-MD), was revised with support from Senator Inhofe (R-OK), which enabled it to pass out of committee, also unanimously.

Each bill provides essential tools and resources to improve water quality in the Bay, especially for farmers. The provisions in both bills are complementary and would:

• Offer regulatory protection, a “safe harbor,” to farmers who are on track in implementing a conservation plan.
• Reinvigorate the potential for environmental-trading markets (the Senate bill with guarantees for investors, and the House with an impartial oversight commission).
• Mandate a complete, full and accurate accounting of all practices farmers have implemented up to the present, and moving forward.
• Provide funds to implement conservation practices, technical assistance, and research on farms. The Senate bill provides 20 percent of all state implementation grant resources for that purpose, and investments in research.
• Mandate greater collaboration between the EPA and USDA. The House bill increases the USDA’s authority in setting technical standards and developing a nutrient-trading program.

When both parties and houses of Congress converge like this, it’s a sign of a real opportunity.  At American Farmland Trust (AFT), we like what we see in these bills. Together they achieve a healthy balance of voluntary, incentive-based programs within an overall regulatory framework.

Farmers need clearly defined expectations and requirements coupled with the flexibility to adapt practices to fit their individual farm operations. Regulatory-only approaches cost the public and farmers more.

These bills offer an approach of shared responsibility and accountability. Farmers have done a lot to improve water quality, more than they are often given credit for, and more than other sectors. Nevertheless, all parties must be responsible and held accountable to take action and make improvements.

Farmers and environmentalists deserve a final bill that’s equitable, balancing clear environmental standards with tools that will get the job done. If like Congress, farmers and environmentalists can keep their common goals in mind, and come together in a bi-partisan way, this legislation provides the tools we need to have healthy farms and a healthier Bay.

About the Author: Jim Baird is Mid-Atlantic Director for the American Farmland Trust. This post was originally run in the Del Marva Farmer.

Alien-looking contraptions with metal arms protrude out of farm fields throughout the state of Washington. Look closer and you’ll see gauges on the arms measuring all kinds of weather data, from temperature and precipitation to wind, dew point, solar radiation and humidity. The stations—part of Washington’s AgWeatherNet—relay data to a website (weather.wsu.edu) that farmers and the public can check for free information on current weather and agricultural conditions.

“I don’t know a farmer or field consultant who doesn’t use it,” says Washington State University (WSU) plant pathologist and AgWeatherNet director Gary Grove. “Over an eight year period, we went from a few people using it to everyone.” The network—launched in part by a grant from the EPA and American Farmland Trust—is one of the most advanced of its kind in the country. Farmers use it to make decisions about everything from irrigation and pruning to fertilizer and pesticide use. (And can sign up for text messages alerting them to adverse weather conditions).

Grove and other WSU researchers are using the weather data—along with disease and insect models—to help growers predict potential insect and disease outbreaks. By better assessing the risk from such threats, the network is helping farmers reduce their chemical use. Grape growers, for instance, have been able to use the data to better time their efforts to combat powdery mildew that infects grapevines. “We’ve reduced fungicide use over 27 percent with wine grapes,” Grove says.

This profile, along with many others can be found in the Integrated Pest Management cover story of our 2010 summer issue of American Farmland magazine. You can get your yearlong subscription by becoming a member of American Farmland Trust today.

About the Author: Kirsten Ferguson is Editor/Writer for American Farmland Trust. She works in the Saratoga, NY office and can be reached at kferguson [at] farmland.org