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.

At the start of the week, the White House released a report on childhood obesity titled, ‘Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity in a Generation.’ The report claims that neither children nor adults are eating enough fruits and vegetables and calls to increase consumption of these foods by 70% by 2020.

Foxnews.com’s LiveTalks blog reported on the Rainville family, Vermont Dairy Farmers who may lose their land to the United States Government who says “it needs 4.9 acres of the family’s property to help protect national security.” Already losing money, the family claims this project will put the farm out of business.

As part of his America’s Great Outdoors initiative, President Obama has launched a national dialogue about conservation in America to learn about some of the smart, creative ways communities are conserving outdoor spaces.  Everyone is invited to add their ideas.

Stonyfield yogurt is hosting a “Barnstorming” blog contest to bring talented bloggers on a tour of the organic dairies that supply Stonyfield with milk for their yogurt. In addition, the winner will award $5,000 to the charity of their choice. The author of “On a Lobster Placemat” chose American Farmland Trust, so cast your vote for “On a Lobster Placemat” today!

The New York Times ran an interesting graphic showing Hewlitt-Packard’s design for a data center run on cow manure.

And the House Agriculture Committee continued its nation-wide series of hearings to Lubbock, TX, to review U.S. agriculture policy in advance of the 2012 Farm Bill.  They too are accepting comments and you can submit your ideas for the 2012 Farm Bill here.

On Monday, President Obama released his FY 2011 Budget Proposal.

At a time when we most need to invest in protecting our natural resources and keeping them healthy for the future, the President’s proposed budget would cut hundreds of millions of dollars (nearly 20%) from key farmland preservation, conservation, and water quality programs that were promised under the 2008 Farm Bill. I am concerned that it is penny-wise now, but will be very pound foolish for America’s future.

Slashing these programs will do nothing significant to address our nation’s budget problems while it will dramatically reduce our ability to protect the resources that supply abundant food and a healthy environment.

Despite the administration’s rhetorical desire to support conservation and agriculture, and address such issues as climate change and renewable energy, reductions of over one-half a billion dollars in mandatory conservation program spending will make it much more difficult for farmers and ranchers to make changes necessary to protect our air, land and water.

Farmers like Jim Andrew, who reversed soil erosion on his farm through no-till planting and is the first farmer in the U.S. to qualify for Tier III, the highest performance level under the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)- one of the crucial conservation programs to be cut under the President’s budget.

On a more positive note, the administration is building on new programs for farmers by developing local and regional food systems through new programs under the 2008 Farm Bill; and during the last year, USDA has moved forward in conservation and environmental programs.

However, we simply must address loss of farmland, and the potential of farms and ranches to maximize their production of environmental benefits like cleaner water and air, sequestering carbon, renewable energy, and more. This is a critical time to invest even more cost-share money, not less.  We look forward to working with members of Congress and the administration to highlight our concerns, reexamine the President’s budget and recalibrate the priorities for agriculture.

Read the President’s proposed budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency in full.

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.