2023 Schedule – Pacific Time

This session will showcase new conservation tools being deployed to address land access, which presents the greatest challenge for diverse, next generation farmers. The Working Farms Fund utilizes a replicable and scalable first-of-its-kind Buy-Support-Protect-Sell model, providing land access and a path to land ownership for small to mid-size farms while increasing the supply of local food and bolstering farmer support resources. In this interactive session, a cross-cutting panel that includes farmers and The Conservation Fund’s Working Farms Fund program staff will engage the audience in discussion on the realities of transitioning farms to the next generation in the Midwest and Southeast through the Buy-Support-Protect-Sell model, expanding the program to meet national demand for farmland protection, providing meaningful farmer support resources including funding for climate-smart practices and leveraging federal resources for conservation easements to permanently protect farmland.