NCAMP and FARM-VA’s Mediation Director participated in the American Farmland Trust’s Southeast Area Zoom on Monday March 16, 2026. Emily Liss, AFT’s Farm Viability Policy Manager, works at the federal level in Washington, D.C. to follow and advocate for policies to protect farmland and farming operations nationally. Ms. Liss gave a presentation on PFAS, which are Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances which are harmful to animals, food, humans, and soil. Emily reported that PFAS come from the manufacture of water repellant and slippery materials. Transported by water, PFAS move and accumulate according to the flow of water. These substances do not deteriorate so they will be around forever. The contamination of farmland and crops has risen from the practice of spreading bio-wastes from sewer systems on farmland. So far, only one state – Maine, has taken action and implemented programs to stop this contamination and compensate farmers for the losses they have suffered. One of the mediators who handles cases for NCAMP and FARM-VA is Wanda Braithwaite-Baril. Wanda is a navigator for the Maine Department of Agriculture in the mediation of PFAS cases there.
NCAMP and FARM-VA’s Mediation Director Participated in the American Farmland Trust’s Southeast Area Zoom
