Whether you own a farm, forest, or rangeland, you care about your property and what happens to it. Planning ahead will help ensure it stays in agriculture. Use these guides to get started.

• Landholder Toolshed - California Farmlink’s landholder toolshed compiles useful resources from listing and leasing land to conservation easement information. Their Farm Succession Guidebook provides step-by-step succession planning and resources.

• Transferring a Farm Resources - Land for Good’s excellent workbook will guide you through the beginning of your succession journey. This series of worksheets will help you define your goals and identify next steps!

• Farmer Stories - Learn how other farmers have successfully transitioned their land. This is a good one for new and beginning farmers as well as experienced producers looking towards retirement.

• Ties to the Land Whether you own a farm, forest, or rangeland, you care about your property and what happens to it. This guide from Oregon State University provides a step-by-step succession workbook for ranchers, growers, landowners, and small timber holders.

Estate Planning for Farmers and Ranchers - This resource from American Farmland Trust and other partners will provide an introduction to estate planning and addresses the unique challenges of farmers and ranchers.

Family Business Planning Guide - Ben Schowalter of AgWest has been working on succession and land transfer for many years. Using his years of experience working with producers, he has created this comprehensive estate planning guide.

Asset Inventory - American Farmland Trust’s Financial Assets Inventory Worksheet provides a framework to list and value the assets that will be transferred or acquired in a farm or ranch transfer. This might include land, buildings, equipment, and/or aspects of the existing farm or ranch business.

Retirement Budgeting Worksheet - Land for Good has developed a simple and direct worksheet that helps you understand your financial picture and plan for retirement.

Leasing Farmland Lessons - Land for Good has created a simple step-by-step lesson on different types of leases, how to determine rental rates, and other great information.

Powerful Questions to Prepare for Agricultural Lease - Farm Commons specializes in legal advice for farmers, ranchers, and producers. These questions help build a solid foundation for all parties involved.

Leasing - Farmland Access Legal Toolkit has created a comprehensive guide to different types of leases, and even includes a “lease-builder.” Explore their website and get your questions answered.

What is an Agricultural Conservation Easement? – California Farmlink created this 2-page information sheet to outline what a conservation easement is, the costs associated and the benefits of using them.

Conservation easements - Explore the Farmland Access Legal Toolkit’s guide to conservation easements and learn how they can support your succession or land transfer goals.

Protect your Land American Farmland Trust has been leading conservation agriculture for 30 years. Check this out if you’re curious about the bigger picture and how to connect to regional resources.

What are conservation easements? This is a straightforward introduction to conversation easements.