Expanding the Reach of Farmer Education
challenge
American Farmland Trust (AFT) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving agricultural land, promoting sustainable farming practices, and supporting farmers across the country. In New York State, AFT leads coalition initiatives and works with farmers to help protect our farmlands.
AFT needed a way to reach farmers across the state and across the country to communicate news about farming practices, research, and ways to work together. As farmers evolve into the digital age, so must AFT. Newsletters and print were becoming less effective, and the organization needed a way to tell compelling stories and share important information.
approach
Our team at Hill & Valley has developed a strong relationship with the AFT New York office to provide photography, videography, and drone services since 2024. We quickly saw an opportunity to use video to extend the reach of AFT's educational programming and make its work more accessible to farmers beyond the people attending each event.
Video was the quickest way to reach a large number of people to create the ripple effect the organization was looking for.
more than just a video
solution
Our work has focused not only on the agricultural practices themselves, but on the people putting those practices into action. We produced promotional and recap videos for AFT's educational programming while also traveling across New York to create in-depth farm profiles. These stories gave farmers an opportunity to share their experiences, explain the practices they use, and showcase the work happening on their farms.
Additionally, over the course of 2025-2026, we worked on the Women for the Land series that spanned beyond NY state, bridging the gap between women in agriculture and their state-based programs, as well as discussing overcoming gender-related barriers to managing their land.
results
Videos and social media marketing are often the first impression people have about a company/organization. 3 video projects featured across their website and across the internet with over 10K views on our videos, we know that we hold a big responsibility in shaping how people view the American Farmland Trust. High-quality content indicates High-quality organization. An organization that cares about the details of its website, its videos, and its communication is a company that cares about its people and the farmers it serves.
VIDEO
6MIN
PROJECT: WOMEN FOR THE LAND
BACKGROUND: We created a video to support AFT’s program in New York to provide targeted education throughout the state. Sharing insights and perspectives from current female farmers. The video lives on AFT’s website and YouTube, garnering over 2K views.
PROJECT: SOIL CLASS FIELD DAY
BACKGROUND: This video not only gives an educational recap of the Advanced Soil Health Training session, but also touches on the mission of the American Farmland Trust. This video is used to promote the organization and its initiatives in NY State.