Supporting Transition and Access on Agricultural Lands
Forty percent of the country’s agricultural land – 370 million acres – is owned or operated by seniors. As aging agricultural landowners prepare to retire, the future of the land they steward is at a critical turning point. How and to whom they transfer their land will have an enormous impact on the next generation of farmers and ranchers and the opportunities available to them. Regional food systems, local economies, and climate change solutions all depend a new generation’s ability to access and steward the land well.
In response, American Farmland Trust, with support from NRCS, has developed a multi-year, multi-faceted program to address challenges affecting:
- Senior 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 involved in a transfer.
- Organizations interested in providing land access and transfer support.
The goal of the Land Transfer Navigator program is to dramatically increase the transfer of farm and ranch land to a new generation of producers. The program will catalyze professionals from across the country support more equitable farm and ranch transfers. Throughout the four-year program, AFT will provide training along with technical and financial assistance to support easement-holding entities and the farmers, ranchers, and landowners they work with.
NAVIGATORS WILL BE TRAINED TO:
- Guide senior landowners in farm and ranch transfer planning;
- Support young and diverse farmers as they seek land access;
- Reduce language, legal, cultural, and other barriers for historically underserved farmers in accessing or transferring farmland;
- Connect farmers and farmland owners with professional service providers;
- Increase knowledge of the role agricultural conservation easement programs and partner organizations play in facilitating the transfer of farms to a new generation.
To reach our goal, AFT will –
BUILD REGIONAL NETWORKS TO FOSTER DIRECT SUPPORT FOR FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND LANDOWNERS
Navigator organizations will that will provide direct technical and financial assistance to implement transfer plans. Networks will identify regional experts who can aid in supporting farm and ranch transfers – such as attorneys, appraisers, and real estate agents who specialize in agricultural land and operations.
TRAIN AND BUILD THE CAPACITY OF NAVIGATORS
To provide tailored assistance to farmers, ranchers and landowners, staff from Navigator organizations will be trained in land access, farm transfer, and soil health practices as well as facilitation techniques, communication support. Capacity grants of up to $25,000 per year for four years will be awarded to these entities to support their training, provide assistance to farmers, ranchers and landowners, and build institutional capacity to invest in their land access and transfer work for the long term.
LAUNCH A VIRTUAL RESOURCE CENTER TO SUPPORT FARM AND RANCH TRANSFERS
AFT’s Farmland Information Center will host an online set of resources and tools which will offer in-depth technical assistance to prepare agricultural landowners and incoming farmers and ranchers to engage in transfer planning, find available land through a national land-link finder, and access support services – including those provided by Navigators.
PROJECT TIMELINE
Eligible criteria and invitations to apply to serve as a Navigator will be announced in August 2023. Awarded entities will be asked to commit for four years and engage thoroughly with in-person and virtual training, peer-to-peer networking, and technical assistance to the farmers, ranchers, and landowners they work with.
