The nation’s farmers are aging. For each American farmer younger than 25, there are five who are 75 or older, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Whether farmers want to retire or remain in the field helping the next generation, they need support to facilitate their farm’s transfer to the next generation or owner. The USDA estimates that 70% of the farmland in the U.S. will change hands in the next 20 years, and that 89% of farmers have no plan for what will happen to their land. At no point is a farm’s future more at risk than during this transition.
Most farmers would agree they want to exit comfortably from farming when the time comes, passing the farm to the next generation or transferring it to a non-family successor. Land For Good helps farmers with the transfer planning process—mapping out next steps, tackling key challenges, and pointing them to tools and resources for planning. The result is a solid plan that creates a meaningful legacy and offers peace of mind.
With the experience and understanding of our staff, several of whom are farmers themselves, Land For Good has helped hundreds of farmers and farm families find innovative solutions that keep their farms in farming, provide a meaningful legacy, and successfully address the financial, legal and business challenges involved in a transition.
These transitions are happening in your community. Over two dozen farmers attended an information night and farmer supper in Greenfield, MA on June 25, 2014. Guided by Land For Good, they discussed their values, vision, and goals surrounding the transfer planning process. This event was co-sponsored by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, Land For Good, and the Mt. Grace Land Conservation Trust, with support from the MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation and the Henry P. Kendall Foundation.
Read More
Land For Good Farm Transfer Toolbox, Resources for farm succession and farm transfer planning
Passing On The Farm, Cornell Small Farms Program
Passing It On, Farming, The Journal of Northeast Agriculture
(Pictured below) Over two dozen farmers attended the Farm Succession Info Night and farmer supper in Greenfield, MA in June.
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