Land Transfer & Successional Planning Resources

Business Planning Tools

• Service Providers for Small Farmers: NorthWest – Crowd Sourced – This is a community spreadsheet to crowdsource good contacts for Service Providers including insurance agents, bookkeepers, CPAs, and attorneys for small farmers, ranchers, and fishers in Washington. Anyone is welcome to add information directly. This resource is available in both English and Spanish.
• Business Plan –  (PA FarmLink) An example of what to include in a business plan.
• USDA (Web Soil Survey) – A way to learn about the soil and property you are considering.
• USDA SWOT Analysis (PA Farmlink) A tool that helps you evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats involved in any business enterprise, including farms and ranches.
• Washington State Department of Ecology – Water rights research guidance.
• Landowner’s Guide to Washington Water Rights (PDF)
• The Farmers Guide to Agricultural Credit – (Rural Advancement Foundation International, 2006) This extensive guide provides answers to questions about agricultural credit and financing.
• Toolbox for Leasing Farmland – (Land For Good) A host of resources if leasing is the best option for you. Tools for both short-term and long-term lease agreements. Includes lease templates.
• USDA New Farmers –  Business planning and technical assistance for new and historically excluded and underserved farmers, including women and veterans.
• Enterprise for Equity Agri-preneur – Business planning program and micro-loans.
• Thurston Economic Development Council – Business planning and advising.

Financing Information

• Farm Service Agency – find your local USDA service center to connect with local FSA staff who can help you navigate the world of farm loans and grant programs.
• FSA Farm Loans Overview (PDF)
• NYFC FSA Loans Guidebook–a guidebook to help young farmers and ranchers navigate the credit options offered by FSA.
• Farm Loan Discovery Tool – from USDA’s farmers.gov website.
• Northwest Farm Credit AgVision – information for young and beginning farmers.
• USDA EQIP Advanced Payment Option for Historically Underserved Farmers – The EQIP advance payment option limits out-of-pocket conservation costs for historically underserved producers. The option provides at least 50 percent of the contracted payment for each conservation practice up front, before the practice is implemented, to purchase materials or contract services. This is funding for technical assistance and implementation, not land procurement. 

Finding Farmland

• NYFC Finding Farmland scenario calculator.
• NYFC Land and Jobs Database
• USA & Canada Land Link Programs Contact Spreadsheet – A spreadsheet of land matching programs throughout the USA & Canada
• Farm to Farmer – Washington Farmland Trust’s farm-matching program, connecting farmers and landowers in Washington state.
• Methow Grown – Farmland opportunities in the Methow Valley.

Succession Planning Tools

• Planning The Future Of Your Farm  – A  workbook for farmers who want to transfer their operation to the next generation and/or keep it in production. *Spanish Language copies available upon request*
• Successful Farm and Ranch Transitions – From the Center for Rural Affairs.
• Farm Succession Checklist (PDF) PA FarmLink planning tool.

Legal Issues & Structures

• Farm Rental Agreement Checklist– (Ohio State University Extension, 2001) This document provides a good, brief list about the provisions that should go into a farm rental agreement.
• Lease Agreement Guide for Landowners and Farmers – (University of Vermont Extension, 2002) This is a clear guide to lease agreements, and includes easy-to-understand steps and considerations for both parties in lease agreements.
• Managing Prosperity Advanced Medical Directives – (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2009) This publication from Virginia Cooperative Extension outlines advanced medical directives (also known as “living wills”), and includes suggestions for drafting these directives in Virginia.
• Managing Prosperity Long-Term Health Care– (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2009) This publication provides an overview of long-term health care.
• Managing Prosperity Powers of Attorney– (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2009) This publication from Virginia Cooperative Extension provides an overview of the types and purposes of powers of attorney.
• Managing Prosperity Probate and the Probate Process–(Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2009) This publication from Virginia Cooperative Extension outlines the probate process when settling the estate of a deceased person.
• Ownership Structures for Your Farm or Ranch: Some Basic Considerations – (University of Nebraska, Lincoln & Center for Rural Affairs) This document describes the various ownership structures used to manage a farm business operation.
• Land for Good– Build-a-lease-tool.
• Farm Commons– Developing lease and purchase agreements.
• Risk Management Checklist – (USDA Risk Management Agency) This document provides information to farmers to help them evaluation their exposure to risk.