Announcing their intention to place their farm under a SILT easement, Tom Wahl and Kathy Dice of Red Fern Farm in Wapello hosted nearly 30 people at the final SILT Showcase of the year. Tom and Kathy grow chestnuts, paw paws, persimmons and ever-bearing mulberries among other perennial crops. A SILT easement is a land protection agreement that attaches to the deed and requires all future owners of the land to use it for sustainable food production. "Our kids haven't shown any interest in taking over this farm," explained Kathy to the crowd, "but even if they did, I'd [...]

Developers, planners, and policymakers - learn how to build farms in your communities in a truly sustainable way, at the 10th annual Growing Sustainable Communities Conference, in Dubuque from Oct. 3-4. Developers and planners across the country are working together to build sustainable farms into housing developments. With a nonprofit land trust in the mix, developers can reap quick sales and high profits while also securing affordable, regional food production for generations to come with farms that can improve the quality of water, air, and life. Hear from a planner, a developer, and a nonprofit farm manager about how [...]

Aired throughout the country on NPR affiliates, The Secret Ingredient is hosted by food and farming activists and journalists Raj Patel, Tom Philpott, and Rebecca McInroy. SILT President Suzan Erem recorded this podcast with them in late 2016. Hear how SILT fits into the greater landscape of land reform in the country.

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]Atlantic, Iowa - Pesticide Action Network (PAN) North America’s Board of Directors announced earlier today that farmer and community organizer Denise O’Brien will serve as PAN’s new Board President. O'Brien is one of 25 Iowa leaders who founded the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust and currently serves on its board. “Food and agriculture are critical to the well-being of our society and should be at the heart of a national conversation. PAN's commitment to serving farmers and agricultural communities in Iowa and across our country is reflected in its ability to build unity and grassroots power. Challenging corporate control and consolidation of [...]

The Sustainable Iowa Land Trust announced today the publication of its much-anticipated SILT FARMER VETTING POLICY. For more than two years, young and disadvantaged farmers around Iowa have been asking what SILT will require to farm its farms. Applicants with no long-term access to land but who have experience and a business plan will make the first cut. The SILT Farmer Committee deliberated extensively over issues of equity and historic imbalance as well, and reviewers are instructed to be cognizant of those issues when reviewing applications. In the process of developing the policy, SILT queried land trusts across the country, including fellow members of the Land Trust Alliance and [...]