Julia is a national expert in farmland protection, agricultural viability, and food systems who heads AFT’s efforts to support the future of farming by increasing land access and supporting next-generation farmers. She co-authored “Cultivating the Next Generation: Resources and Policies to Help Beginning Farmers Succeed in Agriculture,” and leads AFT’s efforts to train trainers and build a network of service providers to help beginners secure land and succeed in agriculture. Freedgood co-authored AFT’s “Farms Under Threat” report. She was a co-PI of a USDA-NIFA supported project “Growing Food Connections,” and published “Growing Local: A Community Guide to Planning for Agriculture and Food Systems” to strengthen local economies and improve community food security. She is a long-time member of the American Planning Association. She served on USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Grant Review Board and the USDA-Secretary Vilsack’s Land Tenure Advisory Committee. She is also a founding member of North American Food Systems Network and serves on the Advisory Board and Editorial Committee of the Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development and the Network Committee of Food Solutions New England. She holds a Master of Arts in urban and environmental planning and policy from Tufts University.