FUTURE HARVEST Competitors

The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres (780,000 km2). Major divisions of the agency include the National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, and the Research and Development branch. The mission of the Forest Service is "To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations." Its motto is "Caring for the land and serving people." As the lead Federal agency in natural resource conservation, the US Forest Service provides leadership in the protection, management, and use of the Nation’s forest, rangeland, and aquatic ecosystems. The agency's ecosystem approach to management integrates ecological, economic, and social factors to maintain and enhance the quality of the environment to meet current and future needs. Through implementation of land and resource management plans, the agency ensures sustainable ecosystems by restoring and maintaining species diversity and ecological productivity that helps provide recreation, water, timber, minerals, fish, wildlife, wilderness, and aesthetic values for current and future generations of people.

American Farmland Trust (AFT) began in 1980 after a small group of farmers and conservationists asked an important question: What will happen to the nation's food supply if we continue to wastefully develop our best farm and ranch land? Peggy McGrath Rockefeller, the wife of philanthropist David Rockefeller, was one of AFT's founding members. Peggy was a dedicated and accomplished farmer, raising purebred cattle on farms in Maine and upstate New York. Guided by Rockefeller, noted soil conservationist Norm Berg, California farmer Ralph Grossi, and others, AFT focused in the early years on pioneering programs around the country that use a powerful tool – conservation easements – to make the nation's best farmland off limits to developers. From the early days, AFT has been a strong advocate for voluntary conservation practices and programs that preserve not just land but also our precious soil and water supplies. In the 40+ years since AFT began, we've seen farmland preservation transform into a national movement that has protected well over five million acres nationwide. Of course, there is much more work to be done. Today, AFT is dedicated to preserving the nation's farm and ranch land – and critical natural resources like soil and water. We also make sure to never forget that it is people – our family farmers and ranchers – who feed us and sustain America. Please join us.

Rodale Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit growing the organic movement through rigorous, solutions-based research, farmer training, and consumer education. Through organic leadership, we improve the health and well-being of people and the planet.