| Hello Friend, While the Spring equinox may still be weeks away, sunshine and blue skies are beginning to return to Western New York, and the minutes of extra daylight are starting to add up. As we inch closer to the season of spring ephemerals, bud break, and blossoms, it’s hard to not feel excitement and anticipation for this seasonal transition and all that comes with it. Transitions are a frequent part of life, and according to the most recent USDA Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey, we can expect an immense amount of transition across the agricultural landscape as more than 300 million acres of agricultural land could change hands in the next 20 years! This amounts to one-third of the land in farms in the contiguous U.S. For some, the transfer of land may represent opportunity and new beginnings. For others, it may represent hard decisions and stark reality. For many, though, I imagine it means both. This month, we invite you to read our latest blog post, A Tale of Two Farm Transitions, which features the motivations and experiences of two women in New York as they navigate their farmland transitions. Further, whether you are an existing landowner or aspiring farmer, we encourage you to consider American Farmland Trust as a resource for you as you navigate these transitions. Our Farmland for a New Generation Team and expanding network of Regional Navigators has helped match 148 farmers with land spanning 9,000 acres over the last five years! Should you have your own experience with this topic, consider joining our Women for the Land Mighty Networks community to share your story with our growing community. You can find more information about this network and how to join below! Warm (and sunny) regards, Caitlin Tucker
New York Agricultural Stewardship Associate
American Farmland Trust |
| |  | A Tale of Two Farm Transitions: Protected Farms Take Different Paths to Keep Their Land in Farming Farm transitions are complicated at best, and there isn’t a playbook to guide landowners in weighing their options. Here, we will tell the stories of two farms in our community that recently transitioned: both were family-run dairies, and both protected their land through conservation easements. One focused on keeping the farm enterprise intact, while the other changed course entirely. Both transitions were years in the making and hit bumps along the way, but most importantly, kept the family farm alive! |
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|  | Join us for the 2nd Annual Women in Ag Day on Thursday, March 7th, 2024, from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Town of Avon-Opera Black Building in Avon, NY. Hosted by Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes, R-Caledonia, and the Farm Service Agency of Livingston County, this annual event celebrates women's contributions to agriculture and features updates from technical service providers and Legislators as well as opportunities to network and build community. Register for the event by visiting the link below. |
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 | "Communities with a higher share of farms operated and/or owned by women tend to be associated with higher rates of entrepreneurship, higher life expectancies, and lower poverty rates." Researchers from Penn State and the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently published a study outlining the positive impacts that women farmers have on their communities' well-being. These impacts are a result of how many women farmers approach their businesses - with an emphasis on environmental stewardship, employee wellness, engagement with the local community through farm activities, and a desire to have societal impacts. Learn more about the author's findings below!
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| |  | Facilitating Peer to Peer Education with Women and Historically Underserved Producers Join American Farmland Trust’s Women for the Land Initiative for a 2.5-hour virtual training session on March 14th, 2024, from 1:00 -3:30 pm EST, targeted towards extension educators and other agricultural service providers. Learn tools for developing peer-to-peer educational opportunities, which will be grounded in our Learning Circle methodology. This tool is specifically focused on creating opportunities for historically underserved producers, particularly women, to access learning opportunities designed with their needs and particular challenges in mind. Gain strategies for facilitating both virtual and in-person settings. Attendees will have the opportunity to join upcoming in-person Learning Circles being offered in the region.
Join Dr. Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, Director of Women for the Land (WFL), Nicole Gwishiri, Southeast WFL Program Manager, and Dr. Courtney Owens, Southeast Director at American Farmland Trust. Our team has a combined experience of decades doing work with women farmers, landowners, and communities. Our work spans best practices for adult education, tools and strategies for engaging underserved producers, and approaches for improving equity in agricultural outreach and programming. American Farmland Trust has been leading in the realm of farmland preservation, farmland stewardship, and support for farmers for the past 40 years. Women for the Land is a national initiative of AFT focused on supporting women farmers, landowners, and aspiring farmers in accessing resources to support their success. Contact Nicole Gwishiri at ngwishiri@farmland.org for any questions or for more information.
*Zoom participation link to be shared upon registration. |
| | |  | Join our Women for the Land - New York Mighty Networks Community! Our Women for the Land - New York team invites you to join our Mighty Networks Community. Mighty Networks is a free online community platform that will allow us to deepen our connections with each other. As a member of this community, you can expect: -
Universal access to Learning Circle resources. Learning Circles are informal, peer-to-peer networking events facilitated by highly skilled discussion leaders and technical service providers focusing on a topic of interest to women in agriculture in New York. -
Networking with fellow women farmers and landowners across New York! This platform is a place for you to ask questions, share stories, and grow relationships. -
Opportunities to inform future Women for the Land programming. As we expand our programming across New York through Learning Circles, farm tours, policy work, and other events, you can expect opportunities to share feedback, topics of interest, priorities, and more. -
Access to the WFL National Network and Special Interest Communities. In addition to being a member of the WLF-NY community, you are also a member of our overarching WFL National community. As such, you'll be able to see announcements, updates, and activities happening across other regions. |
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| | New York Women for the Land Learning Circles |
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| | We connect with our community through New York Women for the Land Learning Circles, which are informal, peer-to-peer networking events facilitated by highly skilled discussion leaders and technical service providers focusing on a topic of interest to women in agriculture in New York. These Circles take place at our women-led Demonstration Farms throughout the year, giving participants the opportunity to connect with successful women farmers and landowners like themselves. We provide learning materials, an online library, and service provider contact information at each event. These are free and open to everyone to attend. As we finalize our schedule for next year, we will update the event listings here and on our website and will send announcements to register when we open registration for each event. Please note these are estimated dates, topics, and locations that will be confirmed in early 2024. We also have a brand new way to stay connected through the Mighty Networks online learning and community platform, where we will host forums and provide universal access to Learning Circle resources. Join here! 2024 Learning Circles April 2024: Land + Livestock Climate Resilience: Strategies to Adapt, Boston Valley Farms, Boston, NY June 2024: Holistic Farm Management + Diversifying Markets, Meadow Run Dairy, Lawtons, NY July 2024: Beginner Farmer Resources + Mentorship, Wild Hill Farm, Bloomfield, NY Summer 2024: Pasture + Farm Walk Series on Women-Led Farms in Central and Western NY Summer 2024: Agri-voltaics Information Session, Central NY September 2024: Farm Safety and Small Engine Repair for Women, Millbrook Farms, Groton, NY October 2024: Carbon Markets, BioChar, and Soil Health, Zeliff Farms, Middleport, NY |
| | | | No Farms No Food® is a trademark of American Farmland Trust |
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