Supporting Transition and Access on Agricultural Lands

The goal of the Land Transfer Navigators program is to significantly increase the transfer of farm and ranch land to a new generation of producers. The program is catalyzing practitioners from across the country to support equitable farm and ranch transfers that work for both retiring and aspiring generations.  

In partnership with NRCS, American Farmland Trust has developed a multi-year, multi-faceted program to address the challenges affecting: 

• Retiring landowners grappling with transferring their land and operations. 
• A diverse, new generation of farmers and ranchers looking to access land. 
• The next generation within farm and ranch families who are involved in a transfer. 
• Organizations interested in providing land access and transfer support. 

To meet these challenges…

We are training and building the capacity of Navigator organizations. 

We are proud to partner with an amazing array of organizations. 

Through this four-year program, AFT is providing training, along with technical and financial assistance, to support organizations holding Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) easements. Training and networking opportunities will build organizations’ capacity to guide farmers, ranchers, and landowners through farm and ranch transfer journeys.  

Our first in-person training took place in January 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. Navigators came from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii to meet, learn, and share.  Read about the first training in our blog. 

Hear from a few Navigators who shared their thoughts during our first in-person training. 

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We are building regional networks to foster direct support for farmers, ranchers, and landowners. 

While Navigator roles in this program are currently reserved for Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program easement holders, we are also engaging all farm and ranch transfer service providers through regional forums. 

Regional forums bring together local professionals to support farm and ranch transfers. Service providers such as attorneys, appraisers, lenders, mediators, and others who specialize in agriculture gather to create robust networks, share resources, and learn from each other. 

Land Transfer Forums are followed with the option to join the National Agricultural Land Network’s online community platform. The platform is a place to continue networking and to connect to a national farm and ranchland protection community.  Reach out to Beth Fraser (bfraser@farmland.org) for more information. 

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COMING SOON: We are launching a virtual resource center to support farm and ranch transfers. 

Behind the scenes we are building an online transfer resource hub to support landowners, land seekers, and Navigators to find the services they need for a successful farm or ranch transfer. 

The resource hub will be a free service available through the Farmland Information Center and will include:  

• Online resources to help landowners and land seekers move through the transfer process.  
• A national Farm Link Finder with an inventory of existing programs and services.  
• Access to Navigator contact information and one-on-one technical assistance.  
• A library of farm and ranch transfer stories to support people navigating the process.