The need to connect landowners and farm seekers to keep land in agriculture is greater than ever. Farm link programs work to connect landowners and beginning farmers or farmers looking to expand their farmland. These programs serve beginning and established farmers of all kinds, farming and non-farming landowners, and transitioning or retiring farmers.
New England Farmland Finder
New England Farmland Finder (NEFF) is a free posting site for properties for sale or lease to help farm seekers and farm property holders across New England find each other. With nearly 5,000 subscribed farm seekers, it is the region’s #1 farm linking website. A recent upgrade improved site navigation and enhanced functionality on mobile devices, allowing you to explore postings efficiently, effectively, and from anywhere. Translations are also part of the upgrade. The website now includes a drop-down menu at the top of the page, which offers translation in your preferred language. A curated collection of resources for both farm seekers and property posters now has its own hub.
Post a Property
Want to sell or lease your land to a farmer? Get in front of thousands of farmers instantly on NEFF. Landowners, or their representatives, can post properties at no charge. Farm seekers are ready and waiting, so landowners should feel encouraged to give NEFF a try! Learn how to create an effective property posting to improve the quality of online postings to attract farming tenants or farmers as buyers. More than 1,440 farmland properties have been posted on NEFF since its inception in 2017.
Log in or create an account to post a property.
“I was very grateful to have been able to use your website – it brought a lot of people to the farm,” shared Janice of Warren Farm & Sugarhouse in Waltham, MA.
“This site is invaluable–especially for farmers looking for property who might not be prone to knocking on my door. Thank you!” shared Judy, a landowner.
Find Farmland
Looking for farmland? Farm seekers are able to create a profile on NEFF, highlight their farming experience and vision, explain what they’re looking for in a farm property, and include a short “elevator pitch” to property owners. Additionally, when farm seekers with profiles inquire about a specific property, the property poster will be linked directly to that farm seeker’s profile, allowing the property poster to quickly learn more. We’ve had many requests from both farm seekers and property posters for this searchable database. Farm seekers can also register to get alerts of new property postings, find resources, and browse a searchable database of properties in New England.
Farm seekers should do the necessary planning before starting a farm search and use these helpful strategies for finding farmland. Goal setting, business and financial planning, and clarity about what is needed in a farm property are important.
Log in or create an account to make a farm seeker profile or browse properties.
“We checked off what we were looking for on New England Farmland Finder, and one day the perfect property was emailed to us. We connected with the landowners, had a few interviews, and eventually they chose us to farm their land!” shared Cara of Free Living Farm in Brookfield, MA.
Find a Farmer
View a database of farmers looking for farmland and contact them directly. Property posters can proactively use the find a farmer database to search for farmers that may be a good fit for the land. Use these helpful tips for finding a farmer for the property!
Log in or create an account to find a farmer.
“We are about to enter our first trial year with successors found on NEFF. Looking forward to a long and positive relationship with the young farmers who will take over our farm,” shared retiring farmers.
Farm linking in our region
This farm link program is managed by the New England Farm Link Collaborative (NEFLC). Through cross-postings of farm opportunities, referrals to specialists, joint educational programming and collaborative outreach, NEFLC service providers build awareness, readiness and connections among farm seekers, farmers and landowners of all types in all New England states. The New England Farm Link Program Guide explains and compares our region’s farm link programs that help connect farm seekers and farmland owners interested in putting or keeping land in active farming. The Collaborative includes Connecticut Farm Link, Maine Farm Link, Land For Good and Vermont Land Link. Each member provides a range of services all aimed at one common goal: to help New England’s farm seekers and landowners connect.
- Farmland inventory project aimed at connecting Bowdoinham ME landowners with aspiring farmers on our Blog
- How To Link To Land in Vermont’s Local Banquet
- Rhode Island Land Linking Program: Background Research and Policy Analysis A report by Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic
- Land Link Programs in the Northeast US: A program assessment and lessons learned
Farm linking beyond New England
Nationally, over fifty programs deliver “farm link” services of various descriptions. Most manage property posting websites. Some facilitate transactions between parties. Many also provide educational activities and resources, and several include property assessment, farm succession advising, and beginning farmer training. Many great tips and connections came out of the first-ever national Farm Link Clinic (April 2019), organized by Land For Good and involving participants from 26 of the 50-plus programs we identified nationally. We compiled lessons and successful practices into a helpful guide for practitioners and advocates, Developing and Strengthening Farm Link Programs (or print version).
- US Land Link Programs list as of February 2014
- National land link directory (National Young Farmers Coalition)
- Farm link programs (Farmland Information Center)
