National Farmers Day: Help Build a Brighter Future for Farmers!
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American Farmland Trust’s Brighter Future Fund was launched in 2020 to assist farmers in diversifying, growing, and sustaining farms in the face of challenges to the food and agricultural system. The grants are used to help improve farm viability, enable farmers to access, transfer or permanently protect farmland or adopt regenerative agricultural practices.
This year, we gave away over 1 million dollars to over 200 farmers located across 44 states and Puerto Rico while prioritizing support for farmers identifying as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, female, or beginning thanks to the support from our main sponsor, Tillamook and many other organizations and individuals like you. Here are some of our grant recipients’ stories.
Cristina Flores, flowers x flores | Brentwood, Maryland
Cristina Flores runs flowers x flores, a flower farm for a 22-member, 6-week community-supported agriculture business during the summer months. She also utilizes her flowers for floral design for events season.
Cristina will use the Brighter Future Fund award to purchase a greenhouse for field seedlings to increase the farm’s capacity to sell plants at the beginning of the season, invest in marketing needed to grow the farm's CSA membership, and hire a farmhand.
Cam Terry, Garden Variety Harvests | Roanoke, Virginia
Cam Terry started his farm business in 2017 growing on small, leased plots in Roanoke City, Virginia. Like many beginning farmers, Cam wanted to farm but didn't have a way to secure long-term farm tenure. After four successful seasons, Garden Variety Harvests is poised for a significant expansion. The farm also secured a land donation and 99-year farm lease with SWVA Agrarian Commons, further protecting Cam’s investment.
"I decided to make the leap into commercial production because I thought it would be the most fulfilling way to spend my 30s and 40s: providing food for my immediate community."
Cam’s Brighter Future Fund grant will be used to purchase key equipment and infrastructure projects.
About American Farmland Trust (AFT)
AFT is the only national conservation organization dedicated to protecting farmland, promoting environmentally sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land. AFT’s programs include the Women for the Land initiative, the Farm to Institution New York State (FINYS) program connecting farmers to schools, and resources and trainings for a new generation of farmers through the Farms for a New Generation program.
Since 1980, AFT’s innovative work has helped to permanently protect more than 6.8 million acres of farmland and ranchland, and has led the way for the adoption of conservation practices on millions more. Learn more at farmland.org.
