Retiring Farmers Without Heirs Are Finding New Ways to Pass Down Their Land
Some American farmers find themselves nearing retirement without someone to formally carry on the family business. To address this concern, a network of programs is helping them find successors outside their families.
Known as farm link or land link programs, these initiatives connect retiring farmers and landowners with aspiring farmers who may have the experience and ambition to run an agricultural business but are otherwise unable to afford purchasing land of their own themselves.
The more time passes, the more pressing this challenge is becoming. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2022 Census of Agriculture, the average American producer was 58.1 years old, up from 57.5 in 2017.
These programs offer retiring farmers another option for keeping their land in agricultural use, while simultaneously opening doors for younger people who might otherwise struggle to enter the industry.
Connecting Retiring Farmers With Aspiring Landowners
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One example is New Jersey’s Farm Link Program, which connects farmers seeking land with owners intent on leasing, selling, or ensuring their property remains available for agricultural use.
Through its online listing service, participants can explore opportunities ranging from employment and apprenticeships to partnerships and property purchases.
The arrangements can vary significantly from one farm to another. Some aspiring farmers get their start by leasing property, while others gradually assume an increasing amount of management responsibilities until they eventually purchase the business and land outright.
Alternatively, for farmers who want to ensure their property remains in agricultural use, New Jersey also offers farmland preservation programs. Producers sell their property’s development rights, and as a result, owners may be able to reduce its cost for a future agriculturally-minded buyer.
Successful Matches Keep Farms Operating
Crossroad Farm in Fairlee, Vermont, provides an example of a successful transition under this farm link model. Founders Tim and Janet Taylor spent years preparing to retire while ensuring their farm could continue operating.
Their successor was Phil Mason, a longtime employee who started by picking strawberries and eventually became the farm’s crew manager. According to Land For Good, an organization that helped facilitate the transition, Mason gradually assumed more responsibility and became a business partner before purchasing the farm and its land in July 2022.
Other farmers have found successors through property listings. In Salisbury, Massachusetts, the owners of Herb FARMacy worked with Land For Good to advertise their property and find new owners who would continue its organic farming practices. The property subsequently became Anything Grows Farm.
To this day, efforts to support these continue to expand. In March 2026, American Farmland Trust announced that its Pacific Northwest Land Transfer Support Program had expanded across Washington state, offering farmers and ranchers there succession planning assistance that is both free and individualized. American Farmland Trust writes that this expansion “addresses a critical gap in Washington State.”
Finding a compatible successor is only the beginning of what can be a lengthy legal and financial process. These programs, however, give retiring farmers another way to nurture their life’s work and help a new generation cultivate their own future in agriculture.
