Senior New York Field Manager

Diane Held served as a consultant to American Farmland Trust for several years before joining the organization full-time in 2006. She is responsible for outreach and advocacy efforts in New York, working with farmers, municipal officials and individuals and organizations that focus on farmland protection and farm viability.

She helped develop agricultural and farmland protection plans for three western New York counties and four towns, has coordinated regional and state-wide farmland protection conferences, and is co-author of New York Agricultural Landowner Guide. Held sees American Farmland Trust’s No Farms No Food® message as a simple but strong concept that resonates with many people.

Before joining the staff, she worked for Cornell Cooperative Extension at the county and state level, served as a consultant to New York’s leadership development program (LEAD NY), and was part-owner and operator of a dairy farm. She has a B.S. in agriculture from Cornell University, an M.S. in environmental studies from the University of Buffalo, and is a LEAD NY graduate.

Contact Information
P.O. Box 209
Eden, NY 14057
(716) 471-7134
dheld@farmland.org