The goal of the Land Transfer Navigators partnership is to significantly increase the transfer of farm and ranch land to a new generation of producers.
The program is catalyzing organizations from across the country to support farm and ranch transfers that benefit retiring and aspiring generations.
Toward our goal, we are addressing complex challenges that affect:
Farm and ranch families
Retiring landowners
A diverse, new generation of farmers and ranchers
Organizations providing land access and transfer support
To meet these challenges we are:
We are providing grants to farmers and ranchers to support transfer planning.
Through AFT’s Brighter Future Fund we launched Farm & Ranch Transition Support Grants to assist farmers, ranchers, and landowners in successfully transferring, accessing, or protecting farm and ranch land.
The land involved in the transfer is permanently protected or in the process of becoming permanently protected, with an agricultural conservation easement.
We are building capacity with Navigator organizations.
Land Transfer Navigators are skilled professionals who provide direct assistance to farmers, ranchers, and landowners. They support succession and transfer planning tailored to the communities they work with by connecting farmers and ranchers to important local services.
Our first in-person training in January 2024 was in Savannah, Georgia. Navigators came from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii to meet, learn, and share.
We are forming regional networks to tailor direct support forfarmers, ranchers, and landowners.
AFT’sRegional staff and the National Agricultural Land Network (NALN) are coordinating Land Transfer Regional Forums to bring together professionals such as attorneys, appraisers, lenders, and mediators.
Forum discussions focus on how to support farmers and ranchers transfer their land to a new generation. Forum attendees are invited to join the NALN to stay connected and expand their farm and ranchland protection networks.
We are launching a virtual resource center to support farm and ranch transfers.
A directory of navigators and other support services.
A library of stories from farmers and ranchers.
AFT Navigator is a Navigator Organization
Across the organization AFT staff are training, building networks, and setting up wholistic systems to support farmers and ranchers plan for the future of their land.
If you are a land owner looking for succession support or a practitioner supporting work in your area, connect with a regional navigator or the Farmland Information Center if no navigator is in your region.
Land Transfer Regional Forums bring together local professionals such as attorneys, appraisers, lenders, and mediators to coordinate efforts and better support farm and ranch transfers. They are intended for practitioners who support farmers and ranchers in accessing or transferring land and operations.
Watch our interview with Dustin Watson - a fourth generation farmer working with Navigators to protect his family's land and continue their farming legacy.
