Kathy Ruhf

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Kathy has taught, presented, consulted, and written about agricultural land access, tenure and transfer for over 30 years. Over this time she has also focused on educating and advocating for beginning farmers in New England and beyond. Kathy co-directed the New England Small Farm Institute for 17 years. Since 2004 she has held several positions at Land For Good, including executive director. She served on, and chaired, the USDA Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers and, through LFG, has advised and presented on land access and transfer nationally. Kathy holds a M.Ed. in administration and a M.S. in natural resource management. She lives in western Massachusetts.

Land Access and Transfer: Regenerating Farms and Ranches for the Next Generation

3:45 – 4:00pm Wednesday

In this plenary, with Jennie Stephens, and Kathy will talk about how land access, secure tenure and inter-generational transfer are essential to a regenerative agriculture. She will address farming opportunity and legacy (entry and exit) from a systems perspective, and explore the challenges in acquiring and transferring farms and ranches. Kathy will also touch on land tenure as a sustainable relationship between owner and user.