Tools & Resources for Working with Farms with Commercial Agricultural Potential
March 2, 2018 • Greenfield, MA
  
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Many real estate professionals have a sincere interest in seeing working farms stay in production, and seek insights and guidance about how to market farms or farmland with commercial potential. Farm seekers are growing more sophisticated, and a primary tool that many farm seekers use in their farm search is the MLS and other real estate listings. But commercial farm buyers differ from other rural property buyers in some unique ways.
Land For Good seeks to raise awareness and provide education and support to real estate professionals to improve the conditions under which many aspiring, beginning and established farmers seek land. This training aims to better connect real estate professionals and commercial farm buyers.
There are many ways that farm buyers and sellers connect,” says Jason. “Licensed real estate agents definitely play role in farm purchase and sales.”
This training helps real estate licensees identify characteristics of the commercial farm buyer, plus how to reach them, identify & describe property characteristics important to the commercial farm buyer, introduce legal and tax issues of specific relevance to farms, identify farm financing options, and outline conservation easements and issues which need to be considered when selling farms that have existing conservation easements.
Contact us to learn more about this training or propose a training session to your area. If you’re in Massachusetts, contact jason@landforgood.org for a consultation. If you’re elsewhere in New England, contact LFG through our website or email info@landforgood.org. Our staff is available to help.
Following are the training handouts:
Agenda
Course Description by Land For Good
Online Resources & Links by Land For Good
How To Create Effective Property Postings for Farm Link Websites by Land For Good
Soil Information by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Farm Evaluation Checklist by Land For Good
Farm Rental Assessment Checklist by Intervale Center, UVM Extension, SARE
Selecting a Conservation Strategy by Upper Valley Land Trust
Conservation Easement FAQs by Upper Valley Land Trust
Synopsis of a Conservation Easement Deed by Upper Valley Land Trust
Tax Benefits Enhanced Federal Incentives for Land Conservation by Upper Valley Land Trust
Conservation Land For Sale Checklist by Upper Valley Land Trust
All materials are subject to copyright.
With special thanks to the following individuals and organizations for assistance in developing these tools and resources:
Mike Ghia, Vermont Field Agent, Land For Good
Jason Silverman, Massachusetts Field Agent, Land For Good
Jamie Pottern, Farm Conservation Specialist, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
Ben Waterman, New Farmers for New American Program Coordinator, UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Jon Ramsey, Director of Farmland Access Program, Vermont Land Trust
Peg Merrens, VP Conservation, Upper Valley Land Trust
We thank our funders for their support. This training was sponsored in part by Farm Credit East and with support from The John Merck Fund.
