LEWISTON, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project’s long-running course for farmers and other landowners looking to transition their agricultural operations to the next generation is expanding into South Dakota in 2026. The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) Winter Farm Transition Planning Course, which enters its 10th session in 2026, provides a holistic opportunity to dig into important topics and learn from experienced farmers and professionals about the options that farmers and landowners have when looking to pass their farm on.
The standard Zoom online LSP course will be held on seven Tuesday evenings starting on January 27 and running through March 10. The sessions build on one another, so attendance at all sessions ensures the greatest understanding and planning opportunities. The course fee is $250 per family, and registration is open through Jan. 9 at https://landstewardshipproject.org/transition2026.
“It is never too early to start thinking about your farm transition,” said Karen Stettler, who works on farm transition issues for LSP. “This course provides an opportunity to join with other farmers who are pondering their next transition steps and to develop goals while assessing land, legacy and financial considerations.”
New this year is an expanded course offering for South Dakota attendees as part of a partnership LSP has formed with Dakota Rural Action and Rural Revival.
“We are excited to partner with these organizations in creating something unique for their attendees while at the same time providing the standard online course that so many have found valuable for their planning,” said Stettler.
The South Dakota course, led by Dakota Rural Action and Rural Revival and using the LSP curriculum, includes seven weekly in-person sessions, with a full-day Saturday kick-off session, and another full-day session to close the training. Sessions two through six will take place on Tuesday evenings for two-and-a-half hours. The dates are: Jan. 31, Feb. 3, Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 24, March 3 and March 14. As with the fully online course, the course fee is $250 per family, and the registration deadline is Jan. 9. To register for the South Dakota course, visit https://qrco.de/farmtransitions2026.
Presenters at both workshops will include other area farmers who are implementing farm transition plans, as well as professionals representing the legal and financial fields as they relate to agricultural businesses. Workshop participants will have an opportunity to begin engaging in the planning process as well as to learn about resources for continuing the process after the workshop has ended.
“One of the most important decisions that a landowner will ever make is ‘Who will I turn over care of this land to?’ The Farm Transition Course helped us to better define our values and set goals for the farm,” said Bill McMillin, a retired Minnesota dairy farmer who participated in a previous LSP Farm Transition Planning Workshop. “Whenever a difficult decision or unforeseen issue arose, we went back to our values and goals to help us make our decision. It was also great to hear how other farmers were dealing with the transition process.”
For more information on transitioning the farm to the next generation, see https://landstewardshipproject.org/land-transition-tools.
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The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing healthy communities in the food and farming system. LSP has offices in the Minnesota communities of Montevideo, Lewiston and South Minneapolis. More information is available at landstewardshipproject.org.
Rural Revival is an organization that originated with a group of farmers concerned about land access, education and local food. The group’s mission is to revitalize and sustain our community by nurturing a positive environment for making a living on the land. To make progress toward that mission, Rural Revival focuses on three goals: 1) To develop a local food system in collaboration with local food producers, food consumers and retail outlets; 2) To facilitate the transfer of land and other resources to aspiring farmers or other agriculturalists; 3) To provide public educational/informational programs on topics relating to goals 1 and 2.
Dakota Rural Action (DRA) organizes people and builds leadership while developing strong allied relationships. DRA protects environmental resources, advocates for resilient agriculture systems and empowers people to create policy change that strengthens their communities and cultures. Founded in the 1980s during the farm crisis to rally farmers against farm foreclosure, DRA has a long history of change-making in South Dakota.