The American Farmland Trust

The American Farmland Trust is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting agricultural land and promoting sustainable farming practices across the United States. Registered in SAM.gov since October 2, 2003, the organization operates as a tax-exempt corporate entity and maintains its headquarters at 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, DC. Through its federal grant portfolio, the American Farmland Trust provides comprehensive technical assistance, education, outreach, research, and policy development services focused on farmland protection, soil health, climate-smart agriculture, and farm succession planning. The organization serves as a prime grantee for multiple federal agencies and has established itself as a critical partner in advancing conservation objectives and supporting agricultural producers and landowners across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories.

The American Farmland Trust's federal grant work spans a diverse range of conservation and agricultural sustainability initiatives funded primarily through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) under multiple programs including the Soil and Water Conservation Federal Grant Program (CFDA 10.902), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (CFDA 10.912), Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (CFDA 10.913), and the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers program (CFDA 10.443). Recent major awards include a $10 million national-level Cooperative Agreement (January 2025) to strengthen conservation efforts nationwide, a $4.9 million Cooperative Agreement (October 2024) for agricultural planning and implementation supporting USDA Farm Bill natural resources conservation program delivery, and a $1.06 million Project Grant (September 2025) demonstrating a Payment for Ecosystem Services Program in Ohio's Upper Scioto River Watershed. The organization also receives funding from the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture for educational initiatives, such as a $150,000 project grant to develop regenerative agriculture curriculum for high schools in Ohio and Kansas, and support from the EPA for water quality improvement projects. The American Farmland Trust's work encompasses soil health management planning, cover crop implementation, livestock and nutrient management, biochar adoption barriers, climate-smart beef production, women farmer engagement and mentorship, veteran farmer support, Latino agricultural producer outreach, land access initiatives, farm succession planning, agrivoltaic systems research, and conservation practice adoption monitoring. The organization collaborates extensively with universities including University of Vermont, University of Massachusetts, Montana State University, Rutgers University, University of Minnesota, University of Maine, and Washington State University, as well as with state agencies, non-profit partners such as the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, conservation districts, and tribes to implement demonstration projects, conduct peer-to-peer learning circles, develop curricula and training programs, and facilitate farmer engagement across multiple watersheds and regions including the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, Gulf of Mexico, and West Coast agricultural areas.