Thinking of coming to the No Farms No Food rally on March 13th, 2013? Learn to lobby with environmental lobbyist and consultant, Jeff Jones! HRN's Leah Eden and Erin Fairbanks call up Jeff to discuss lobbying strategies. Who should rally participants expect to meet, and how should one engage a senator or representative? Listen in to hear Jeff talk about the importance of participating in direct democratic actions, and why a diversity of voices need to be heard at Albany. If you're headed to the state capital on March 13th, check out this segment, and know what to expect when you arrive at the rally! Thanks to our sponsor, Hearst Ranch.

Tune in to part one of our podcast series for an overview of the rally and part two to learn about AFT's top three priorities for the rally.

"This is one way to be directly engaged in democracy, and there are a lot of people coming through Albany this time of year- especially because they're making decisions about the state budget." [4:15]

"If you can establish a human connection, you go a long way toward opening the channel of communication." [20:45]

-- Jeff Jones on No Farms, No Food Rally

Thinking of coming to the 2013 No Farms No Food Rally? Get inspired as David Haight, New York State Director of American Farmland Trust, explains their top three priorities for the year so you can be prepared to speak with legislators during the rally. Find out how farmland is protected and attacked in this state and learn how the Governor is doing his part to make sure farmers keep their land. Learn how AFT is encouraging state agencies to buy food grown in New York, not only to help farmers but to improve the quality of food served in institutions. Hear some ideas to aid new generations of farmers in securing their land against real estate and commercial development. If you are heading to the state capital on March 13th, check out this segment, and learn about the issues that the 2013 No Farms No Food Rally advocates for - learn more and sign up here! This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

Tune in to part one of our podcast series for an overview of the No Farms No Food rally and part three for advocacy tips.

"New York is a farm state, but we've been losing a lot of our farms to development. We've lost about 4500 farms to real estate development. One of the ways we help combat that is with funding from our states farmland protection program. That program helps pay farmers to permanently protect the land so it will always be available for agriculture." [2:00]

"Millions of New Yorkers are fed by different institutions. We see this as another area of opportunity both to feed people good food and create good economic opportunities for farmers." [09:00]

--David Haight, Director for American Farmland Trust

Thinking of coming to the No Farms No Food Rally on March 13th? It's easier than you might think! Tune in to a special recording as we chat with American Farmland Trust Senior New York Project and Outreach Manager, Laura Ten Eyck. Laura works with farmers and communities in eastern New York, with a special focus on efforts to protect farmland in the Hudson River Valley. She has been a New York representative for American Farmland Trust since 2009, serving before that as a freelance writer for American Farmland magazine and then as a field consultant working with towns to develop agriculture and farmland protection plans. Find out exactly how the rally will be organized and learn more about the planned activities for the day. If you are headed to the state capital on March 13th, check out this segment, and learn why you don't need to be a professional lobbyist to make a difference and have your voice heard - learn more about the No Farms No Food Rally here and be sure to be there! This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

Tune in to part two of our podcast series to learn about AFT's top three priorities for the rally and part three for advocacy tips.!

This is a forum for regular people to come. We set everything up - you don't have to worry about where to go. We divide everybody into lobby teams and each team will have a leader who will bring the group directly to the offices." [8:30]

--American Farmland Trust Senior New York Project and Outreach Manager, Laura Ten Eyck