Dr. Ann Sorensen of the American Farmland Trust (AFT) has been nominated to serve on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee. The committee serves to advise the EPA on environmental issues related to agriculture and rural communities.

Sorensen, a certified entomologist, currently oversees AFT’s research, directs AFT's Center for Agriculture in the Environment at Northern Illinois University, and helps prioritize that research to meet the needs of the organization. Prior to joining AFT, Sorensen was the assistant director of the Natural and Environmental Resources Division for the American Farm Bureau Federation. Sorensen has published a large number of scholarly papers, served on numerous committees, is a past chair of the National Foundation for IPM Education, and has spoken frequently on agricultural and environmental issues.
 

As a committee member, Sorensen will provide insight to the agency on a number of issues, such as water and air quality, environmental markets, renewable energy and climate change, and how environmental policy issues affect farms, ranches and rural communities.
 

“We initiated this committee at EPA to help bring the collective wisdom, information and advice of agriculture and environmental specialists to the policy making process at EPA,” says AFT President Jon Scholl. Scholl is familiar with the committee having served as the agricultural advisor to the administrator at EPA before coming to AFT.

“It is a great opportunity for public sector experts to help create better working relationships and understanding between agriculture, consumers and the government agency that regulates our environmental policy. We’re very proud at AFT to have Ann Sorensen to be nominated to serve on this committee, and to have had our former president Ralph Grossi serve on the first committee,” Scholl said. “An important perspective that the advisory group brings is to help the agency find ways to meet its environmental goals in ways that will allow farmers to remain profitable.”

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