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Retiring Farmers & Landowners

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“As a landowner, you have the power to determine the legacy of your
land — that decision is the most important decision you can make.”

                                   — Bill McMillin, who, with his wife Bonnie, transitioned the
family farm to a beginning farmer

Applications are now open for LSP’s 2026 Farm Transition Course. For details, click here.

 

You are in the right place to move down the path of transitioning your farm to the next generation. Fulfilling a land legacy is rewarding. There is a sense of peace knowing the land will continue to be cared for by a beginning farmer and that the land will provide a home and livelihood for the next generation. But there are a lot of questions to ask and there is a lot of planning that goes into the farm transition journey.

What is your vision for your farm?  How does this fit into the context of the larger rural landscape?  What is the land’s best use?

You do not have to do this alone, there are a number of resources (below), plus people who are willing and able to help.  Please reach out to LSP’s Karen Stettler via e-mail or at 612-767-9885 with questions or for more information.

Getting Started

Here are some important steps in the Farm Transition Planning process:

 

1) What is Your Legacy?

Getting clear on what you are aiming for on your land will give you the best chance to actualize your legacy. Clarify your goals and values, communicate them to your family and next generation farmers, and use these goals and values to guide your farm transition decisions.

  • LSP’s Farm Transition Planning self-guided worksheets help you map out your plan.
  • To get you started, check out this introduction from MISA’s Farm Transitions Toolkit.
  • Farmland Access Decision-Making Tool
  • Farm Legacy Letters (Practical Farmers of Iowa)
  • Am I Ready?/Are We Ready? Starter questions to help activate needed thought and discussion before and during planning for a farm transition.

2) Financial Considerations of Creating Your Legacy

What are the financial realities of your farm enterprise? Will your farm need to support two families during a transition? Is there room for companion enterprises?  What are your financial needs in retirement? Having a clear picture of your financial situation and answers to these questions will help you envision a farm transition that will fit your budget.

  • Conservation Financing
  • Minnesota Beginning Farmer Tax Credit
  • Iowa State University Farm Transition Decision Maker Tool

3)  Legal Considerations of Creating Your Legacy

Once  you have your legacy in mind and have figured out the financial options you have, it is important to make sure you have legal documents drawn up to finalize the plan. This is an important step and one that is best handled by attorneys with farm transition experience.

  • Conservation Leases (FLAG)
  • Contract for Deed (FLAG)
  • Tips for Finding an Attorney

4) Conservation Considerations to Create Your Legacy

You have cared for your land and want to ensure the land will continue to be cared for in a way that enhances the soil, air, and water.  There are things you can do right now.

  • Valuing Sustainable Practices
  • LSP Conservation Leases Toolkit
  • Soil Health

5) Alternatives for Land Legacy

Accessing secure and affordable land is a barrier for many and it’s clear a system-wide change is needed when it comes to farmland policy, markets, and infrastructure. Such changes take time. In the interim, there need to be alternative ways for beginning farmers to access land.

  • Minnesota Commons — Agrarian Trust
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service easements
  • Land Return

6) Networking with Other Beginning & Retiring Farmers

There really are new farmers who want to get started and, on the other side of the equation, established farmers who want to see another generation of farmers on their land. Sometimes the hardest part is connecting those beginning farmers and retiring landowners. Here are a few ideas for making such connections.

  • LSP’s Seeking Farmers-Seeking Land Clearinghouse
  • MOSES Land Link-Up
  • Practical Farmers of Iowa Farm Transfer
  • Land for Good
  • Land Return
  • Farmland Access Hub

Related Posts

  • Ear to the Ground 232: A Difficult Discussion

    Excessive erosion on her farm prompted Jeannie Hill to have a hard conversation with her renter. But first, she did some homework.

    Ear to the Ground 232: A Difficult Discussion
  • For its 10th Round of Farm Transition Workshops, LSP Expands Course to South Dakota 

    October 16, 2025

    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…

    News Releases
    beginning farmers, Dakota Rural Action, farm transition, Farm Transition Planning Course, farmland access, retiring farmers, Rural Revival
    For its 10th Round of Farm Transition Workshops, LSP Expands Course to South Dakota 
  • Ear to the Ground 369: Emerging Agrarians

    Ka Zoua Berry says supporting a future generation of farmers who don’t fit the traditional Midwestern stereotype isn’t just about building a resilient farm and…

    Ear to the Ground 369: Emerging Agrarians

Contact

Karen Stettler, LSP farm transitions organizer, 612-767-9885, e-mail

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      • Farm Transition Course 2026
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Upcoming Events

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February 2026

Thursday February 5

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
'Rotating into Resiliency' Winter Workshop Series for Crop Producers
Thursday February 5
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
'Rotating into Resiliency' Winter Workshop Series for Crop Producers
Lewiston & Montevideo, Minn., & online

Are you a crop producer interested in integrating small grains into your rotation as a way to build resiliency in the face of increasingly extreme weather, volatile markets, and a sometimes-overwhelming workload? The Land Stewardship Project (LSP), in collaboration with U of M Extension, is offering a free “Rotating into Resiliency” winter workshop series during the first three Thursdays of February (Feb. 5, 12, and 19, from noon to 2 p.m.)  that will help participants navigate the agronomic, economic, managerial, and environmental challenges of diversifying their operations. The series will consist of three sessions that will be offered in a hybrid format — there will be an option to participate in-person at LSP’s offices in Montevideo and Lewiston, Minn., as well as online. Lunch will be provided at the in-person venues.

The sessions will feature panel discussions involving farmers and others who have extensive experience in the areas of marketing, financial management, diverse crop production, managing extreme climate conditions, and goal setting/planning. Participants will also have a chance to problem solve, discuss issues, and share ideas with fellow cohort members. Each participant will have an opportunity to develop a resiliency-based, diversified cropping plan that they can implement during the 2026 growing season. 

Participation in the “Rotating into Resiliency” cohort is free. For more information and to register, click here.

Saturday February 7

All Day
Sustainable Farming Association Annual Conference
Saturday February 7
Sustainable Farming Association Annual Conference
College of Saint Benedict, 37 South College Ave S, St Joseph, MN 56374, USA

For details, click here.

Monday February 9

4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Organic Apple Orchard Academy
Monday February 9
4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Organic Apple Orchard Academy
Zoom online

The Organic Apple Orchard Academy is a virtual event hosted by the IPM Institute of North America and the Organic Fruit Growers Association. The Academy series — February 9, 11, 16, and 18 — will teach proven methods with insights on everything from site selection and disease-resistant varieties to bio-intensive pest management, efficient harvest strategies and savvy marketing for fresh and value-added products.

You can secure your spot today for just $300, or only $275 for Organic Fruit Growers Association members.

Schedule: 

Day 1: Startup and orchard design focus on variety and rootstock, site prep, irrigation, and trellis/tree support considerations.

Day 2: Pest Management presentation on scouting, pesticide safety, pests of concern in organic orchards, cost and other factors including additional resources.

Day 3: Horticultural practices, harvest and labor instruction on planting trees, orchard floor management and thinning; harvest and post-harvest management and grower experiences with hired labor.

Day 4: Marketing and overall summary teaches many aspects of marketing fresh and value-added products with final thoughts from experienced growers and additional resources. 

Three experienced farmer-presenters will lead the class and will share detailed, practical, real-world knowledge that’s not readily available from internet and print resources. This course requires some basic understanding of growing apples; pre-course reading, homework and handouts included with the course.

For details and to register, click here. 

 

Tuesday February 10

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP Farm Transition Planning Course
Tuesday February 10
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP Farm Transition Planning Course
Zoom Online

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.

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.

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.

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
South Dakota Farm Transition Planning Course
Tuesday February 10
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
South Dakota Farm Transition Planning Course
South Dakota

  • Are you a farm family or landowner thinking about the future or next steps for your farm?
  • Are you interested in planning for the next generation of farmers on your land?
  • Do you have a spouse/partner helping to make these decisions? Are you both on the same page?
  • Are you ready to begin the planning process but don’t know where to start?

For the first time, Rural Revival is hosting a holistic Farm Transition Planning Course in collaboration with The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) and Dakota Rural Action (DRA). This opportunity is coordinated alongside the land transition course that LSP has provided for Minnesota farmers over the past 9 years. The course includes seven weekly sessions, with a full day Saturday to kick off, and again to close the training. Sessions 2-6 will take place on Tuesday evenings for 2 1/2 hours. Sessions will bring professionals, farmers and LSP/DRA staff together to dig into values and goals, communications, generational, financial, legal, and long-term care considerations. The sessions build on each other and it is important to plan on attending all of them. The sessions will include participatory activities and there will be work families are encouraged to complete outside of the gathered course time.

The topics, dates, and times for the course are:

  • Saturday, Jan 31st: Goal Setting for LIfe & Land, 10:00am-4:00pm
  • Tues. Feb 3: Values and Why Farm Transition Planning is Needed, 5:30pm-8:00pm
  • Tues. Feb 10: Financial Considerations, 5:30-8:00pm
  • Tues. Feb 17: Legal Considerations, 5:30-8:00pm
  • Tues. Feb 24: Working with the Next Generation Farmers, 5:30-8:00pm
  • Tues. March 3: Long Term Care Considerations, 5:30-8:00pm
  • Saturday, March 14: Resources and Planning Next Steps, 10:00am-4:00pm 

The course fee is $250 per family. The registration deadline is January 9. For more information and to register, click here.

For more farm transition resources, click here. For more course information, contact:

  • DRA’s Megan EisenVos at megan@dakotarural.org, 605-277-3790
  • LSP’s Karen Stettler at stettler@landstewardshipproject.org, 507-458-0349
  • Rural Revival Treasurer, Roy Kaufman at lorokauf@gwtc.net

View Full Calendar

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