Keeping Farmland in Farming: Why Land Succession Demands New Tools — and How Buy‑Protect‑Sell(BPS) plus+ Helps

Each year across the Mid‑Atlantic, I meet landowners who tell me a version of the same story: “I want my land to stay in farming, but I don’t know how to make that happen.” They’re not alone. Nationally, millions of acres of farmland will transition to new ownership in the coming decades, and many families struggle to navigate the complex path of succession, transfer, and long‑term protection. In fact, roughly 300 million acres of farmland are expected to change hands within the next twenty years, and many landowners feel pressure to sell quickly, even when that’s not the best option for their family or the land.  

One Virginia farmer, Dustin Watson, faced this reality head‑on. His cattle operation, Long Acre Farm, nearly slipped away because of succession complications and development pressure. While Dustin ultimately succeeded in keeping the farm in agriculture, his journey underscores that the future of American farmland hinges on our ability to support thoughtful, well‑structured land transfer. 

The High Stakes of Land Succession 

For many landowners, farm transfer is daunting because, on top of the legal and financial complexities, it’s emotional, involving decisions that are tied up with family identity, history, and hopes for the future. It's also structural. 

Steep land values, competition from development, shifting family dynamics, and the mechanics of conservation easements combine to make the process challenging. When farm families lack a clear plan, they often feel they have only one path: sell the property on the open market. And with development pressure high across the Mid‑Atlantic, land can quickly shift permanently out of agriculture. 

The result is a troubling trend. As farmland owners age and retire, the future of nearly one‑third of U.S. agricultural land is uncertain. That uncertainty limits opportunities for new and beginning farmers and threatens the long‑term viability of our regional food systems. 

Built for These Challenges: Buy‑Protect‑Sell, and AFT’s “plus” 

To address this growing crisis, some land trusts, including American Farmland Trust, have embraced an innovative model known as Buy‑Protect‑Sell (BPS). 

In its simplest form, BPS is a three‑step approach: 

1. AFT buys farmland. 

2. It protects the property with an agricultural conservation easement. 

3. Then, AFT sells the land at its more affordable agricultural value to a farmer. 

The conservation easement removes development potential and reduces the purchase price, making the farm more affordable for the next generation. Meanwhile, the retiring landowner receives fair compensation and certainty that the land will remain in agriculture. 

But at AFT, we don’t stop there. Our Buy‑Protect‑Sell plus (BPS‑plus) approach adds critical support after the new farmer purchases the property. We work with farmers on soil‑health planning, conservation practice adoption, business planning, and technical assistance. The “plus” matters. Transferring the land is only part of the equation; ensuring long‑term viability is essential for keeping farmland in farming. 

A Glimpse of the Model in Action 

This approach played a defining role in the Long Acre Farm transition. Dustin’s story, featured in Barn Raiser and in a newly posted video, illustrates just how close a farm can come to being lost when the tools for thoughtful transition aren’t readily available or well understood. When he needed a way to buy out a family member to keep the 274‑acre farm in operation, AFT and our partners used a creative combination of easement funding and bridge financing to make the transfer possible. The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), a land trust operating in a nine-county region of the northern Piedmont of Virginia, approached AFT to help with this project. AFT provided a bridge loan to Dustin to buy time for PEC and Dustin to work through the easement process. Together, they successfully applied for easement funding from both NRCS’s ACEP-ALE program and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Virginia Land Conservation Foundation. These easement funds allowed Dustin to repay the loan.  

Today, with the conservation easement in place, Long Acre Farm is protected for agricultural use forever—a lasting commitment that ensures the land will continue to support farming for generations to come. 

Federal and State Tools That Support Land Transfer 

BPS‑Plus is most successful when paired with strong public programs that protect land and expand access. Many of these tools, outlined on the Farmland Information Center’s Land Access Policies and Programs page, are crucial for landowners, practitioners, and policymakers. 

Here in the Mid‑Atlantic, land access challenges are deeply felt. High development pressure, soaring land prices, and the rising average age of landowners all intersect to put working lands at risk. Without thoughtful land succession, we lose both farmland and the infrastructure, cultural heritage, and economic vitality that farming communities sustain. 

Considering Your Own Succession Plan? I’m Here to Help. 

If you’re a landowner beginning to think about succession, a farmer seeking opportunities to secure land, or a partner looking to strengthen regional land protection, our team is ready to help you explore the options. Reach out to learn more.