American Farmland Trust has a new President to replace Ralph Grossi who is stepping down after 23 years.

Scholl, an Illinois farmer, has most recently served as the Counselor to the Administrator for Agricultural Policy at US EPA where he led the development of the first EPA National Agriculture Strategy, agricultural advisory committee, and agency-wide cross media agriculture team. In addition, he helped direct Agency regulations on animal feeding operations, spill prevention, clean air rules and emission reporting requirements; and provided input and counsel to the USDA farm bill team on the conservation provisions of the Administration’s 2007 farm bill proposal.

Prior to that position, Scholl served for 25 years with the Illinois Farm Bureau as Executive Assistant to the President, and in a variety of other positions including director of public policy, director of national legislation, and director of natural resources. In these roles, Scholl gained extensive public policy and legislative experience at all levels of government.

“The Board conducted a thorough search for a worthy successor to our long-standing President, Ralph Grossi, who shaped AFT from its founding in 1980 to become the nation’s leading organization for farmland protection,” said Jay Winthrop, AFT Chairman. “We are delighted to bring a new President of Jon’s caliber on board to lead the organization at this exciting time. As a farmer and former Farm Bureau and EPA official, Jon embodies AFT’s mission at the intersection of agriculture and the environment. Jon is uniquely qualified to build on our tradition of leadership in farmland protection and to lead AFT in the years ahead as we implement a new strategic plan.”

Jon and his family own and operate a corn and soybean farm in McLean County, Illinois.