Who is American Farmland Trust?

Saving the land that sustains us by:

Who is American Farmland Trust?

Since our founding in 1980, AFT has

helped permanently protect over 6.5

million acres of agricultural lands,

advanced environmentally sound

farming practices on millions of

additional acres, and supported thousands of farm families.

Women for the LandA New Era of Ownership and Conservation

AFT’s Women for the Land ProgramObjectives: Address the obstacles women landowners face in accessing conservation programs and resources. Support women landowners in taking action to protect their farmland, adopt environmentally sound farming practices, and enhance farm viability.

Three key components:• Research (Women Non-operating Landowner Survey)• Conservation Learning Circles• Technical assistance & policy reform

Sustainable Grazing ProjectRappahannock Region

Regional based holistic beef production project in the counties of Rappahannock, Madison, Culpeper, Fauquier and Orange

Evolution of the Project

• Early 2017- AFT was approached by key players in Rappahannock County who were familiar with AFT’s work and wanted to see how AFT could help build the local ag. economy

• 2017- A planning grant was established locally which hired Mike Sands and Molly Peterson to research potential opportunities to improve sustainability

• January 2018- A day long workshop was hosted in Washington, VA where 125 + people attended and AFT’s President John Piotti spoke about the needs and opportunities for agricultural regions like Rappahannock County

Evolution of the Project Cont.

• Summer 2018- Grant proposal was developed to hire a project coordinator to manage a multi year sustainable grazing project

• May 2019- Jacob Gilley was hired to manage the project to include a region of Rappahannock, Madison, Culpeper, Orange and Fauquier Counties

Overarching Project Goals

• Develop new markets• Enhance soil health, sequester carbon, and document the power of regenerative

grazing as part of a broader project• Secure land (both for existing farmers and new farmers entering the business)• Provide other services to assist new farmers• Improve farming practices• Enhance land-use planning that supports agriculture

Rappahannock ProjectFocus

•Supporting implementation ofconservation practices

•Incorporating support for business planningand record keeping in outreach efforts tocapture the economics of sustainablegrazing systems

•Promoting improved cattle productionpractices for increased efficiency, profitabilityand animal welfare

Rappahannock ProjectCont.

• Supporting land accessand protection

• Increasing food systemsinfrastructure

• Supporting agriculturalproduct marketing andmarket access

• Assisting with economicdevelopment, land useplanning and policy

8 Pilot Producer Locations

• Rappahannock-2• Madison-3• Culpeper-2• Fauquier-1

Project Apps and Software

Sustainable Grazing Record

Keeping

Project Equipment

Sustainable Grazing Project Partners

Industry Support and Memberships

• Mountains 2 Bay Grazing Alliance• US Round Table for Sustainable Beef• VA Forage and Grassland Council

US Round Table for Sustainable Beef

• Water resources.• Land resources.• Efficiency and yield.• Animal health and well-being.• Employee safety and well-being.• Air and greenhouse gas

emissions.

Assessment Tool

https://nobleapps.noble.org/usrsbassessment

Project Timeline

FY 19 October November December January February March• 1st blog post onproject goals• Producer

partipant bustour to VA techevent 17th

• Advisorycommittee isestablished

• 8-10 cooperatorsidentified

• Case studyequipmentsecured

• VA tech classpresentation

• Demo plotsestablished

• Planning andrecording keeping demonstration atfield day

• Projectframework docand reporttemplatecompleted

• Blue RidgeCattleman'smeeting

• Initial surveyscompleted

• Productionmanagementsoftware toolsidentified, andfarmers enrolled

• Bring on advisorfor carbonmeasurementprotocol

• Soil sampling forpilot producers

• Fencing Demo• Portable

Watering,Fencing andcattle weighingdemo

• Qrtly producermeeting

• 2nd blog on pilotproducers anddemo sites

• VA Farmlinkwebsiteimprovements

• Establishequipmentsharing forum

• End of the yearupdate report forfunders

• Attend forageand grasslandcouncil wintermeeting

• VA Farmlinkpromotion forpastureland

• Attend Central VA Cattleman'sAssociationwinter meeting

• Attend FB YoungFarmer WinterExpo - jointtraining

• BQA training withVet and highlightrecording keeping

• Qrtly producermeeting

• Help producersdevelop budgetsfor springnutrientapplications andhelp plan pasturemanagementbudget for theyear

• Initial report onevaluation ofmarket andinfrastructureneeds

Timeline Cont.

April May June July August September• Qrtly advisory

committeemeeting

• Exploreformation ofregional beefco-op

• Compileproducerpictures andprofiles

• 3rd blog posthighlightpractices andprogress

• Plant summerannual showcaseplots

• Initiateestablishment ofsharedinfrastructure

• Qrtly producermeeting;

• Graduate studentintern and econadvisor to createcase studies

• Initiateestablishment ofshared marketingif needed

• Qrtly advisorycommitteemeeting

• Summer AnnualGrazing Field Day

• 4th blog posthighlight initialcase studyfindings

• Promotion ofFarmlink for cropproducers

• Organize covercrop grazing subproject

• Qrtly producermeeting

• RappahannockFarm Tour

• Plant winterannual showcaseplot

Further Applied Research Interest

• SubleaseAgreements

• EstablishmentMethods

• Seed Varieties• Cost of Gain• Infrastructure

Investments• Soil Improvements

Carbon Sequestration

Budget Allocations

• Technical Assistance to Farmers

( Software)

• Carbon Specialist

• Case Study Design/ Graphic

Services

• Soil Sampling

• Ag Economist

• Marketing Assistance

• VA Farm Link and Land

Access Events

• Cooperator Incentives

• Project Support Equipment

• Workshops / Conferences

• Farm Tours for Restaurants

and Chefs

• Student Contractor to Help

Soil Sample and Work Cattle

Clifton Institute Fencing Demo

Stay Tuff Fence, Stockade, Madison Wood Preservers, AFT, Clifton Institute, Mountains 2 Bay Grazing Alliance

Portable Fencing, Watering, and Cattle Handling Equipment Demo

Health Care without Harm Farm Tour

PEC, 4P Foods, Whiffletree Farm, American Farmland Trust

Pilot Producer Cattle Working

AFT’s Mid-Atlantic Staff

Margot L. Mays

Mid-Atlantic Conservation &

Stewardship Program Manager

mmays@farmland.org

Jacob A. Gilley

Rappahannock Project Coordinator

(540) 219-5015jgilley@farmland.org

www.farmland.org