A Brighter Future for Livestock Farmers

The day we’ve been waiting for is here! Today, the American Farmland Trust (AFT) announced a new class of grantees of its Brighter Future Fund, including eight livestock farmers, supported by Applegate. 

Among the grantees are:

• Westfork Farmstead: A 150-acre Iowa farm making the transition from conventional hog production to a pasture-based farm business selling pork and eggs directly to its community.
• Matheson Farms: A pastured beef farm that is downsizing its herds to allow its third-generation female farmer to continue her farm while also educating new farmers on the benefits of regenerative practices.
• Butter Hill Heritage Pork: An Ohio farm raising an old breed of pigs that naturally grazes (rather than rooting and turning soil) and is less destructive to the land.
• Thompson Heritage Ranch: A small California ranch raising (Prop 12 approved) Berkshire hogs on pasture.

Each grantee will use their money to do what they need to do on the farm. For example, Thompson Ranch will build port-a-huts for the pigs. Westfork Farmstead will build a hoop shed to house its laying hens in the winter: “These funds will help our farm's sustainability and future so much, helping make it possible for us to continue year-round production while improving quality of life even more for our animals,” said Natasha Wilson of Westfork Farmstead. 

In April, the makers of  APPLEGATE^®, the nation's leading natural and organic meat brand, announced its partnership with AFT with a $50,000 donation to the Brighter Future Fund, a program that helps farmers and ranchers nationwide improve their viability, access, transfer, or permanently protect farmland, and adopt regenerative agricultural* practices.

 The 139 grants, valued up to $5,000, support farmers or ranchers who are working to who are becoming more resilient and viable. 

“We're thankful for the support of companies like Applegate who are committed to the future of American agriculture,” said Ashley Brucker, Senior Manager of Grantmaking, Brighter Future Fund and Farm Viability at American Farmland Trust. “Together, we are empowering farmers to overcome challenges, innovate, and build a more resilient and sustainable future for generations to come.”

 The Brighter Future Fund was launched in 2020 to help historically underserved farmers and ranchers build, grow, and sustain their operations despite forces impacting the food and agricultural system, including the COVID-19 pandemic, changing markets, severe weather, and climate change.  In past years, BFF grants have helped livestock farmers to access land to expand their farms and ranches, purchase supplies to implement regenerative practices like compost spreaders and no-till drill planters, and improve their profitability with more efficient equipment for harvesting, storing and selling their crops and livestock like greenhouses, hoop houses and cooler vans.

“As a former farmer who has raised pastured livestock, I know firsthand how beneficial unrestricted grant funds are to a farm business,” said Carolyn Gahn, Applegate’s Senior Director of Mission and Advocacy. “Fencing, watering systems and animal shelters are all costly but necessary requirements to get an operation off the ground and keep it functioning sustainably. A move towards a regenerative future, means making farming a viable business model for family farms and first-generation farmers.”

*Regenerative agriculture is a series of continuous improvement principles and practices that prioritize soil health and manages a symbiotic relationship between plants and animals to have a positive impact on the land.