Land For Good staff host mixers, workshops and training across the region, typically with local or regional partners. We are also frequent speakers, panel organizers or moderators at other local, regional and national events.
Common Ground Fair (Unity, Maine)
Farm transfer is the process of passing a farm business and/or farm property from one generation or owner to the next. A Conversation for beginning, established and retiring farmers presented by Jo Barrett, Land For Good; and Daniel McPhee, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA).
Leases can offer affordable, flexible and secure access to farms, land, and buildings. If you’re a new or beginning farmer, leasing farmland may be an effective way to overcome one of your biggest challenges to getting on the land. If you’re a landowner who wants to make land available for farming, leasing land with a well-planned approach can be a “win-win” for you, your land and your community. Presented by Jo Barrett, Land For Good; Elaine Bourne, Maine Agricultural Mediation Program; and Daniel McPhee, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA).
Farm Succession School for senior farmers and farm couples looking toward retirement and farm transition. Three locations:
Massachusetts Farm Succession School
December 5, 2017
January 11, 2018
February 7, 2018
at the Massachusetts Farm Bureau, 249 Lakeside Avenue, Marlborough, MA
All sessions are 10:00am to 3:30pm
Open to all New England farmers.
Register now
Connecticut Farm Succession School
December 6, 2017
January 10, 2018
February 6, 2018
at the Connecticut Farm Bureau, 78 Beaver Road, Wethersfield, CT
All sessions are 10:00am to 3:30pm
Open to all New England farmers.
Register now
Rhode Island Farm Succession School
December 8, 2017
January 9, 2018
February 8, 2018
at the USDA Farm Service Agency, 60 Quaker Lane, Suite #62, Warwick, RI
All sessions are 10:00am to 3:30pm
Open to all New England farmers.
Register now
One of your biggest challenges is planning for farm succession. Attend the Farm Succession School! You’ll get structured and sustained support to make decisions, engage your family, and organize the legal and financial mechanics. Topics include: goal setting, estate planning, retirement planning, family communications, taxes, legal structure, Medicaid, and bringing on a successor. See flyer for complete details
The Farm Succession School was offered this past winter (2016 – 2017) in ME, NH & VT. These small groups yielded big rewards! Farmers loved the amount of attention, and valued the trust and sharing that developed among the participants, regardless of scale or type of enterprise – and received the necessary structure and support to be successful with their succession planning. Read more
It opened my mind to all that’s involved and not be afraid to seek help from professionals,” said one participant.
It is important to discuss and communicate and keep working on it. You are always changing – do not let family dynamics, fear and anxiety keep you from work on YOUR plan!” commented one farmer.
Where We’ve Been
- Changing Lands, Changing Hands: National Conference on farm & Ranch Access, Tenure, and Transfer, Denver, CO, June 2017
- Farm Transfer Planning Workshop; and Farmland Investment Companies: Innovative Partners for Land Access? at National Farm Viability Conference, Albany, NY, May 2017
- Farm Succession Advisors Training, Manchester, NH, May 2017
- Maine Real Estate Professional Training: Tools & Resources for Working with Farms with Commercial Agricultural Potential, Belfast, ME, April 2017
- Farm Succession Planning Workshop, RI Land Trust Council, Tiverton, RI, March 2017
- Assessing & Preparing Land for Farming Workshop, Short Course: Moving Onto Your Own Land by Young Farmer Network and Southside Community Land Trust, Providence, RI, March 2017
- Farm Succession & Transfer Workshop, Harvest New England Agricultural Marketing Conference, Sturbridge, MA, March 2017
- NH Farmland Access & Transfer Info Night, West Ossipee, NH, February 2017
- Farm Bill Primer and Listening Session, NOFA-VT Winter Conference, Burlington, VT, February 2017
- New & Novel Land Financing Methods, NOFA-VT Winter Conference, Burlington, VT, February 2017
- Farm Lease Clinic, NOFA-MA Winter Conference, Worcester, MA, January 2017
- Land Access Workshop, Build Your Network, Grow Our Future Conference, New Connecticut Farmer Alliance, Bloomfield, CT, December 2016
- Land Access Workshop, Stone Barns Young Farmers Conference, Pocantico Hills, NY, December, 2016
- Municipal Land Leasing & Protection Workshop: A Focus on Farmland and Other Land, Greenfield, MA, December 2016
- Vermont Farm Succession School, Randolph, VT, December 2016
- New Hampshire Farm Succession School, Concord, NH, December 2016
- Maine Farm Succession School, Augusta, ME, December 2016
- Maine Land Access Conference sponsor, Augusta, ME, November 2016
- New England Farmers Union Annual Convention, Windsor, CT, December 2016
- Farm Ownership & Transition Workshop, Brunswick, ME, November 2016
- Land Access Workshop, Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference, East Lansing, MI, November 2016
- Connecticut Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, North Haven, CT, November 2016
- Working Lands Alliance Annual Meeting, Hartford, CT, November 2016
- 2018 Farm Bill – Northeast Perspectives, It Takes A Region Conference, Northeast Sustainable Agricultural Working Group (NESAWG), Hartford, CT, November 2016
- Farm Transfer & Succession Planning Workshop, NH Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, Meredith, NH, November 2016
- South County Landowners Workshop, South Kingstown, RI, November 2016
- Making Land Available for Farming Workshop: A Planner’s Role, Southern New England American Planning Association Planning (SNEAPA) Conference, Worcester, MA, October 2016
- Land Access Workshop, National Incubator Farm Training Initiative (invitation only), Cold Spring, NY, October 2016
- Rhode Island Non-Farming Landowner Workshop, Portsmouth, RI, September 2016
- Farmland Access & Tenure Workshop, Common Ground Country Fair, Unity, ME, September 2016
- Building Knowledge & Skills to Assist Farm Seekers & Transitioning Farmers, National Small Farm Conference, Virginia Beach, VA, September 2016
- USDA BFRDP Project Directors Conference, St. Paul, MN, August 2016
- Finding, Assessing, and Securing Farmland Workshop, Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Summer Conference, Amherst, MA, August 2016
- NH Real Estate Professional Training: Tools & Resources for Working with Farms with Commercial Agricultural Potential, Bedford, NH, June 2016
- Planning For The Future of Your Land Workshop, Greenfield, MA, May 2016
- Farm Succession Planning Training for Service Providers, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, May 2016
- Vermont Farmland Access Workshop, White River Junction, VT, April 2016
- Vermont Food Funders Network, Vermont Community Foundation, April 2016
- Keeping Farmland Affordable & Accessible for Farmers Workshop, Saving Special Places, Alton, NH, April 2016
- Land Access, Farming in Community, Sirius Community, Shutesbury MA. April 2016
- Just Food? Forum on Land Use, Rights & Ecology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, March 2016
- Connecticut Land Conservation Council Conference, Middletown, CT, March 2016
- Slow Money Maine Gathering, Gardiner, ME, March 2016
- Gaining Access to Quality Farmland Workshop, CT NOFA Winter Conference, Danbury, CT, March 2016
- NH Real Estate Professional Training: Tools & Resources for Working with Farms with Commercial Agricultural Potential, Enfield, NH, March 2016
- Land Access and Leasing Workshop, SEMAP Annual Ag & Food Conference, Dighton, MA, February 2016
- Farm Transfer Planning Workshop, Suffield, CT, February 2016. slides
- Access to Farmland Workshop, Litchfield Hills Farmer’s Forum, Litchfield, CT, January 2016
- Accessing & Assessing Land Workshop, NOFA Mass Winter Conference, Worcester, MA, January 2016
- Land is Your Legacy Panel, Maine Agricultural Trade Shows, Augusta, ME, January 2016
- Land Access Roundtable, 1st Annual Northeast New Farmer Gathering, Greenfield, MA, December 2015
- Land Access Project Phase 2 Launch Convening, Leominster, MA, December 2015
- Who Holds The Key To The Land? Workshop, NESAWG: It Takes A Region Conference, Saratoga Springs,NY, November 2015
- What Is The Food Movement? And What Is Your Next Move? NESAWG: It Takes A Region Conference, Saratoga Springs NY, November 2015
- Farm Succession Planning Workshop, New Milford, CT, November 2015
- Farmland Access Workshop, Yoder Family Farm, Danby, VT, November 2015
- Investing in Helping Farmers Find a Farm, Harvesting Opportunities Conference, Albany NY, November 2015
- Farm Leasing Workshops, Piedmont Environmental Council, VA, November 2015
- Farmland Access/Transfer Info Night, NH Audubon Center, Concord, NH, October 2015
- Farmland Access Workshop, Bread and Butter Farm, Shelburne, VT, October 2015
- Farmland Access Conference, Pineland Farms, New Gloucester, ME, October 2015
- Understanding Farm Leases Workshop, Common Ground Fair, September 2015
- Addressing Land Access, 2015 BFRDP Project Directors Meeting, Reno NV, September 2015.
- Utopian Solutions, Land and Water Conference, Brown University, Providence, RI, September 2015
-
CROPP Agronomy School, Bangor ME, September 2015
- Farmland Preservation in the Granite State, NH Audubon Society, August 2015
- Finding, Assessing and Securing Farmland Workshop, NOFA-MA Summer Conference, August 2015
- Digging Deeper Conference, Land Access Panel: The Precarity of Transition—Holding Ground for Sustainable Agriculture, Chicago, IL, June 2015
- Webinar Linking Food, Farmer, and Farmland Access, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders Network, June 2015
- Pioneer Valley Grows Spring Forum, LAND: the foundation of a healthy food system, Holyoke, MA, April 2015
- Feeding The Future Conference, Connecticut College, March 2015
- Monadnock Farmland Access Info Night & Farmer-Landowner Mixer, Keene & Jaffrey, March 2015
- Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference, Farmland Access & Transfer Workshop, March 2015
- Farm Succession & Estate Planning Workshop, Essex County, March 2015
- Farm Business Succession Workshop, Harvest New England Agricultural Marketing Conference, Sturbridge, MA, February 2015
- Farmland Seeker Forum, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project and Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP), Dighton, MA, February 2015
- Webinar: Tools for Finding and Assessing Farmland, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, February 2015
- Webinar: Linking Farmers to Land: Alternative Land Access and Tenure, Food Secure Canada and Farm Start, February 2015
- Gaining Access To Quality Farmland, NOFA-CT Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference, New London, CT, January 2015
- Real Estate Training, Tools & Resources for Working with Farms with Commercial Agricultural Potential, Middlebury, VT, January 2015
- Beginning Farmer Resource Network Workshop, Maine Agricultural Trade Show, Augusta, Maine, January 2015
- Planning For The Future of Your Farm Workshop, NOFA-MA Winter Conference, Worcester, MA, January 2015
- New England Farmers Union Annual Convention, Portland, ME, December 2014
- Young Farmers Conference Leasing Clinic, Pocantico Hills, NY, December 2014
- Negotiation and Conflict Management Skills Workshop in partnership with MOFGA and Main Farmland Trust, Augusta, ME, November 2014
- Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition Farmer Mixer Night, Walpole, NH, November 2014
- Innovative Land Financing Mechanisms Workshop, Rutland, VT, November 2014
- Vermont Connection & Conservation, UVM Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources, Burlington, VT, November 2014
- MOFGA’s Farmer to Farmer Conference, Farm Succession Planning Workshop, Northport, ME, November 2014
- Berkshire Farmland Initiative, Farmer-Landowner Mixer (North County & South County) Berkshires, MA, October 2014
- Food Day Fair, Monadnock Food Coop, Keene, NH, October 2014
- American Farmland Trust Conference, Land Access & Affordable Farmland Workshop, Lexington KY, October 2014
- New Economy Week: Who Owns Vermont? Montpelier, VT, October 2014
- Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA) Field Days, Stonewall Farm, Keene, NH, September 2014
- National Land Conservation Rally 2014, Providence RI, September 2014
- Common Ground Fair, Unity ME, September 2014
- Farm Succession Information Night, Greenfield MA, June 2014
- Farmland Access in the Berkshires, Pittsfield, April 2014
- OUR LAND: A Symposium on Farmland Access in the 21st Century, Berkeley CA, April 2014
- Agrarian Trust Land Access Principles think-tank, Paicines Ranch CA, March 2014
- Seacoast Land Access Information Night and Farmer Mixer, Hampton NH, March 2014
- Land Financing Mechanisms: New & Novel Approaches to Consider, NOFA-VT Winter Conference, Burlington VT, February 2014
- Build Your Network, Grow Our Future, an event to strengthen Connecticut’s agricultural community, February 2014
- New Young & Beginning Farmer Rap Session, NH Farm and Forest Expo, February 2014
- Accessing Farmland in the Valley – Farmland Access Information Night, Greenfield MA, February 2014
- Finding Land to Farm Workshop, NOFA-NH Winter Conference, February 2014
- Farm Transfer Issues: Passing Farmland to New Farmers,Western Mass Agricultural Commission Gathering #2, January 2014
- Beginning Farmers Resources Network, Maine Agricultural Trades Shows, January 2014
- Leasing and Leases for Farmers and Landowners Workshop, NOFA Massachusetts Winter Conference, January 2014
- Gaining Access to Quality Farmland Workshop, NOFA-CT Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference, January 2014
- Member, Advisory Group, American Farmland Trust-Utah State University Non-Operator Landowner Project, 2013
- Co-organizer and presenter, Regional Land Access Info Nights, multiple locations in NH and MA, 2012 to present
- Presenter, Cooperative Farming, Young Farmer Conference: Reviving The Culture of Agriculture, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Pocantico Hills NY, December 2013
- Presenter, Land Access, Farmland Protection, Farm Profitability, and Keep Berkshires in Farming, Western Massachusetts Winter Agricultural Commission Gathering, Hancock MA, 2013
- Speaker and sponsor, Beginning Farmer Network of Mass. Fall Forum, Charlton MA, November 2013
- Presenter, Transferring the Farm, Harvest New England Agricultural Marketing Conference, Sturbridge MA, 2013
- Presenter, Cooperative Lease Models, Harvest New England Agricultural Marketing Conference, Sturbridge MA, 2013
- Facilitator, Farmland for the Next Generation of Farmers, Harvesting Opportunities in New York: Growing Local Food Economies & Protecting Farmland Conference, American Farmland Trust, Albany NY, November 2013
- Presenter, Negotiation and Conflict Management Skills For Farmers & Landowners, Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association and Maine Farmland Trust, 2013
- Land Access Workshop for Farm Seekers and Land Owners, Augusta ME, 2013
- Land Access workshops, NOFA summer conferences, Amherst MA, 2009 – 2013
- Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener Association (MOFGA) Farmer to Farmer conference, ME, 2012 – 2013
- Farmland Accessibility: A Community Issue, MOFGA Common Ground Fair, Unity ME 2012 & 2013
- Buying vs. Leasing Farmland Workshop for MOFGA Journey Person Program, Unity ME, 2013
- Connecting Farmers With Farmland, Nearing Lyceum , Blue Hill and United ME, 2013
- Finding Your Farm: From Basics to Action, 3rd Annual Young Farmers Conference, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Pontico Hills NY, 2012
- Access to Land, It Takes a Region NESAWG conference, Saratoga NY, 2013
- Leasing Your Land to a Farmer in cooperation with UVM Extension, Vermont Land Trust, Mad River Watershed Conservation Partnership and Small Step Farm, Waitsfield VT 2012
- Leasing Your Land to a Farmer workshops in collaboration with Maine Farmland Trust and Conservation Works, Bremen, Wells and Blue Hill ME, 2012
- National Farm Viability conference, Middlebury VT
- Massachusetts Land Trust conference, MA
- Women in Sustainable Agriculture national conference, VT
- NH Saving Special Places conference, NH
- Non-farming landowner workshops, 15 in all six New England states.
- Transferring the Farm workshops (multiple, 2004 – 2006)
- Massachusetts Association of Agriculture Commissions, MA
- Risk Management Strategies for Beginning and Small Farmers and Ranchers National Conference, 2007
Selected Presentations
- Sponsor, Facilitator and Opening Remarks, Farmland Access and the Importance of Networks for Service Providers, Beginning Farmer Network of MA (BFN/MA) Fall Forum, Charlton MA, Nov. 2013.
- Farmland Access, Tenure and Transfer: Conservation Tool and Context, Panel on Working Lands Conservation, 5th Regional Conservation Partnership Gathering, Nashua NH, Nov. 2013
- Affordability (panel presenter and moderator), Farmland Access and Affordability Forum, Wethersfield CT, Oct. 2013
- Co-Sponsor, organizer and presenter, New England Farmland Convening, Portsmouth NH, May 2013
- Agriculture Trends in MA and New England and Land Conservation, Mt. Grace Conservation Land Trust, Athol MA, 2013
- Land For Good’s Approach to Farmland Access, JUST Land national gathering, Land Stewardship Project, Rochester MN, 2012
- Access to Land for Beginning Farmers, National Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Annual Conference, Rochester MN, 2012
- Leasing Your Protected Farmland for Agricultural Use, Rhode Island Land and Water Summit, Kingston RI, 2010
- Land Access, Leasing, Land Trusts and More, Drake Agricultural Law Center Forum on Beginning Farmers, Washington DC,, 2010
- Farm/Ranch Succession Education, Programs and Services, Changing Lands, Changing Hands national conference, Denver CO, 2009
- Farmland Access and Transfer, Georgia Organics, Atlanta, GA 2009
- Annual conference, Massachusetts Association of Agriculture Commissions 2009.
- What’s the Plan for the Farm?, Michigan Land Use Institute, Traverse City MI, 2007
- Challenges and Opportunities for Small and Beginning Farmers, Small and Beginner Farmers of NH conference, October 2007
