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. 

Projects are eligible if:

1. Applicants are actively working with a Land Transfer Navigator and

2. The land involved in the transfer is permanently protected or in the process of becoming permanently protected, with an agricultural conservation easement.  

Click here for the full grant guidelines and application.

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 current Land Transfer Navigators cohort is made up of entities who hold Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) easements.

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

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.  

• Read, Reflections from Our First Land Transfer Navigators Training

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

In 2025 we met in San Antonio, Texas to build skills, peer support and problem solve.

• Read On Farm Transfer, Conflict Resolution, and Good Communication: A Q&A with Claudia Kenny to learn more about the second year training.

We are forming regional networks to tailor direct support for farmers, ranchers, and landowners. 

AFT’s Regional 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. 

To date have designed:

• Online resources to help landowners and land seekers move through their transfer process.

• A national Farm Link Finder with an inventory of existing programs and services.

• One – on – one technical assistance with staff trained in farm and ranch transfer planning.

A Transfer Resource Hub will be hosted on the Farmland Information Center and will also include:  

• A directory of navigators and other support services.

• A library of stories from farmers and ranchers.