What are the current barriers to land access for farmers in the United States? Can models like specific types of land tenure and collective governance offer alternatives? In the next decade 400,000 acres of farmland is estimated to transition from current ownership. With forces like land speculation and gentrification, what will the fate of this farmland be? In this conversation, Annette Hiatt (Land Loss Prevention Project) and Nathan Galaviz (Agrarian Trust) speak with Stephen Bartlett (Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville) about the current landscape and possible solutions and alternatives for this perennial problem. We know we can't beat a hedge fund with a CSA - but what needs to change for there to be a future for sustainable agriculture?

Facilitator and Panelist Bios:

Nathan M. Galaviz is Commons Manager at Agrarian Trust, a national farmland trust focused on community-led, non-extractive models of land tenure. He supports Agrarian Commons projects across the country with strategic guidance on real estate, governance, conservation, and capital structure, integrating blended finance tools with long-term stewardship. Rooted in land stewardship and ecological agriculture, Nathan also manages a pastured sheep farm in western North Carolina, where he is working to restore riparian habitat. A licensed commercial real estate broker specializing in farm and ranch properties, he works to sustain creative pathways for farmland transition and secure tenure for the next generation. Nathan brings to NFFC both practical farming experience and deep expertise in land access, advancing strategies that center community control, ecological resilience, and rematriation.

Annette Hiatt is a Senior Staff Attorney with the Land Loss Prevention Project. She enjoys working one on one with clients to retain and preserve the connection of family to the ownership and retention of land. Ms. Hiatt received her Bachelor of Social Work from UNC-Charlotte and her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University. She is a North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission Certified Superior Court mediator, achieving that status in 2015. Ms. Hiatt is a legal fellow with the Sustainable Economies Law Center, a member of the North Carolina Local Food Council and the mother to two kiddos who lead her on many adventures.