American Farmland Trust

We asked 200 farmers, ranchers, and landowners across 89 counties in Texas to understand their views on solar development in the Lone Star State. 📌 Key takeaways: -Solar can sustain farm operations when done right. -Agrivoltaics offer a path to dual-use productivity. -There’s a real opportunity to bridge energy and ag, especially in a state leading the nation in utility-scale solar. ☀️ "Texas has also always been an energy state, and solar is the newest chapter in that story,” said AFT Texas Smart Solar Specialist Garrett Bader. “But it is also the most land intensive. Our solar survey was critical in capturing the perspectives of both producers and landowners, helping us better understand not just the challenges they face today, but also the opportunities emerging in this space and how we can best support." See the full Texas #SmartSolar survey findings and recommendations at our Farmland Information Center (FIC): https://bit.ly/433oCOy.

We are all livestock owners--yes, you heard that right! Any amount of soil, from the dirt on your farm to the potting soil of your cactus, has millions (if not billions) of organisms working the soil. Bianca Moebius-Clune, PhD speaks to the soil health responsibility we all share: "One handful of soil has more organisms than people on Earth... We need to take care of them, because they take care of us." Learn more about American Farmland Trust's Climate and Soil Health Initiative here: https://lnkd.in/e8WP_B9q Check out YouTube for all the sessions from American Farmland Trust's “Keeping Farmers on the Land,” an official Climate Week NYC 2025 event with Food Tank at WNYC–NPR’s The Greene Space. The gathering highlighted bold solutions to protect farmland, support farmers, and strengthen rural communities in the face of climate change. Find the playlist on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/enAkyjuq

🌱 Meet Daphne Bicaise of Daphodill Farm in Magnolia, Texas, a farmer, mother, and community builder. An American Farmland Trust Brighter Future Fund grant helped her turn a dream into a thriving farm that feeds families and fosters connection. 💚🥕 Read more in AGDAILY: https://bit.ly/42sIyu5.

📝 In a recently published study, University of Maine researchers show the different ways in which specific crops take up PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals,” from contaminated soil. “American Farmland Trust quickly identified University of Maine researchers as strong partners in investigating how farmers in Maine and beyond can respond to the [PFAS] challenge,” said Bianca Moebius-Clune, Climate and Soil Health Director at American Farmland Trust. “The funding provided to the University of Maine is unique — the intention was specifically to jumpstart research that will be directly relevant to farmers making decisions about their PFAS impacted land.” American Farmland Trust and 15 partner organizations recently released federal policy recommendations to address PFAS contamination on agricultural land. Learn more at farmland.org/pfas.

🌳 “Holistic management of the land, specifically in wildlife and forest health, is an important component to consider for excellent land stewardship.” -Zane Redman, Georgia Implementation Specialist, American Farmland Trust In late September, we attended The University of Georgia Agroforestry & Wildlife Field Day in Griffin, Georgia, where we met other local organizations, including the Georgia Forestry Commission. Farmers learned how to manage and sustain their land through topics such as deer & turkey health, crop rotation, and forest water quality. 🍃 🦌

🎉 We’re excited to officially announce the Top 10 markets of the 2025 America’s Farmers Market Celebration™! These past two months, over 60,000 of you showed your love by voting for your favorite market - 1,263 farmers markets received votes! These incredible markets not only earned a share of the $15,000 prize pool, but also the recognition of being community favorites. When we support local farmers and ranchers, we all win. 💚 On behalf of American Farmland Trust, thank you to all who joined us for year 17 of our celebration! Supporting local farmers markets helps protect farmland, promote sound farming practices, and keep farmers on the land, which is our mission every day at American Farmland Trust. ✨ “If our farmers markets didn’t exist, we would lose the tether to our food, our farmers, and our land.” -Floreal Crubaugh, Midwest Farmland Associate, American Farmland Trust 1. Lakewood Ranch Farmers Market | Sarasota, FL | 3,936 votes 2. Coventry Farmers Market | Coventry, CT | 3,591 votes 3. Midtown Farmers Market | Sacramento, CA | 3,430 votes 4. Charlottesville City Market | Charlottesville, VA | 3,170 votes 5. The Woodbury Farmers Market | Woodbury, NJ | 3,053 votes 6. Panama City Farmers Market | Panama City, FL | 2,184 votes 7. Black Mountain Tailgate Market | Black Mountain, NC | 1,862 votes 8. De Soto Farmers Market | DeSoto, MO | 1,832 votes 9. Windward Mall Farmers Market | Kaneohe, HI | 1,621 votes 10. Downtown West Bend Farmers Market | West Bend, WI | 1,471 votes 🔗 See the full list of top markets, including first place in each state: https://bit.ly/4mPoAkK. #FarmersMarketCelebration #NoFarmsNoFood

“Things are incredibly tough for farmers and ranchers. Now is the time to reinvest in agricultural communities.” - Jenny Lester Moffitt, Senior Fellow at American Farmland Trust 🌾 Last week at #ClimateWeekNYC, we teamed up with Food Tank to host “Keeping Farmers on the Land,” a powerful conversation on the urgent need for tools and resources to support our nation’s producers as farming grows more challenging every day. Farmers and ranchers are resilient and innovative, but they shouldn’t have to face climate pressures alone. We all have a role to play in keeping their operations viable and thriving. 📖 Read the recap: https://lnkd.in/eJdZrN5b. 🎧 Listen to the full conversations: https://lnkd.in/eXdSnS3B. #NoFarmsNoFood

In Texas and beyond, farmers markets are creating powerful opportunities for small-scale growers to connect directly with their communities. From hydroponic microgreens to gourmet mushrooms, urban farmers like Josiah and Bailey Tucker of Tucker Family Fungi are proving that you don’t need acres of land to make a big impact. 💬 “More people are starting to be conscious of their food and know that they could be consciously doing something better,” says Josiah. That "something better" includes supporting your local farmers and ranchers at the market. Markets are about more than fresh produce. They're about relationships, conservation, and keeping dollars in your community. 🍄🥕💚 Read more in a new article by Tahja Sims, American Farmland Trust Agriculture Communications Intern at AGDAILY. P.S. TODAY is the last day to cast your vote for your favorite farmers market in America's Farmers Market Celebration! Vote: https://bit.ly/45vWhlK.

🐝 We were honored to attend the Sioux Honey Co-op Association’s annual member meeting in Sioux City, Iowa last week, and what better time than during #NationalHoneyMonth!   Sioux Honey’s products SUE BEE® and AUNT SUE'S® honey are American Farmland Trust U.S. Farmed™ certified. The honey is harvested and produced right here in the U.S., direct from trusted USA beekeepers.   🍯 In this video, beekeeper and association member, David Coy, shares why the US Farmed™ certification is important to the Sioux Honey Co-op Association.   David’s family has been beekeeping since 1969. His favorite part of beekeeping?   “If I had to narrow it down to one thing, I’d say being able to see the fruits of your labor, to see your hard work pay off, the return you get on your hard work,” says David. “Of course, we’re relying on the bees to help us do that. It’s similar to how farmers feel about crops and cattle. We’re very similar in spirit. Our livestock is the bees.   ℹ️ What is US Farmed™? The U.S. Farmed™ seal is an independent, third-party audited certification and traceability standard that means the product carrying it was made with a minimum of 95% US-grown agricultural products. Choosing a product with the U.S. Farmed™ seal supports American Farmland Trust’s efforts to keep farmers on the land and permanently protect farmland in the U.S. Learn more at farmland.org/us-farmed.