Episode 37: American Farmland Trust Tim Fink - How Can We Preserve American Farmland?

Tim Fink is the Vice President of Policy at the American Farmland Trust.   Tim develops the American Farmland Trust's overall policy direction and strategies and coordinates federal and relevant state policy work in close collaboration with American Farmland Trust national initiative leaders, regional directors, and partners. Before joining AFT, Tim was the director of research and policy analysis at the Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation, where he advocated for increases in USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, fundraised for the National Academies' "Science Breakthroughs 2030" project, and led the development of a series of Farm Bill Research Policy Recommendations endorsed by 66 organizations. Tim has extensive experience in politics, including five political campaigns and as a legislative assistant to the chair of the House Energy Committee for Iowa's General Assembly. Tim holds a master's degree from Harvard and a Bachelor of Arts from Luther College.   TOPICS EXPLORED 0:00 – 1:58 – Introduction 1:58 – 3:21 – What is The American Farmland Trust and what type of work does it do? 3:21 – 4:25 – How did you become interested in sustainable food and agriculture? 4:25 – 5:48 – How does the American Farmland Trust work to protect land? 5:48 – 7:24 – What are some of the greatest challenges related to protecting American Farmland? 7:24 – 9:37 – How can we preserve farmland and make sure that it transitions to the next generation of farmers? 9:37 – 11:15 – How has the amount of land owned by small farmers changed in recent decades? 11:15 – 12:26 – What are some things the average person could do to help conserve American Farmland? 12:26 – 14:13 – How does the American Farmland Trust advance farming practices that prevent erosion and rebuild soil health? 14:13 – 15:16 – Why are practices that prevent soil erosion and rebuild soil health important? 15:16 – 16:36 – How does the American Farmland Trust help keep farmers and ranchers in business? 16:36 – 18:30 – What are some of the key quantifiable impacts the American Farmland Trust has had? 18:30 – 19:33 – What do you think are the most important things for society to do to shift towards sustainable food, agriculture, and farming systems? 19:33 – 19:51 – Things to share and wrap up   AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST INFORMATION https://farmland.org/   RESOURCES About The American Farmland Trust: https://farmland.org/about History of The American Farmland Trust: https://farmland.org/history Prosperity Partners: https://farmland.org/partners American Farmland Trust Impact: https://farmland.org/impact Donate to the American Farmland Trust: https://farmland.org/give   FOOD FOR YOU AND THE PLANET PODCAST INFORMATION Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/food-for-you-and-the-planet/id1739416396 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7pkAIuXxl9dzD48b7qMOL1 RSS: https://feeds.libsyn.com/506343/rss Podcast Instagram: @foodforyouandtheplanet   TAGS Food Environment Health Podcast Sustainability America American Farms Farmland Preservation Preserving American Farmland American Farms American Farmland American Farmland Trust