Farm Evolution and Succession
Expanding or evolving the farm business is a natural part of multi-generation operations. Demand changes with time and so too must a business if it plans to stay viable, especially when the farm is now coming up against an encroaching urban boundary and along with that, new challenges and opportunities. Luckily, there are many ways for farm businesses to evolve and adapt to changing times.
Agritourism brings individuals outside of agriculture into the farm atmosphere. Real life experiences on a farm can provide context to what life on a farm is like, and can allow for deeper connection and understanding of farm operations. This can be extremely helpful for peri-urban farmers who, by the nature of their location, are required to get to know their neighbors and allow their neighbors to get to know their individual and business needs.
Agritainment is like agritourism but involves an entertainment component. This can look like hosting small concerts, partnering with local artists to do on-farm art exhibitions, hosting farm-days or field-days, and other entertainment events. For peri-urban farmers, agritainment provides opportunity for local community building by allowing time and space for connection to be made, and it provides increased economic value to the farm and the neighborhood.
Vertical integration may be necessary for peri-urban farmers due to decrease in access to basic farm resources such as slaughterhouses and washing and packing facilities but increase in access to markets. Check out our capital resources for vertical integration opportunities.
Exclusive partnerships are a great opportunity for peri-urban farmers due to their proximity to market. Exclusive partnerships can be done with restaurants, organizations, or businesses. Some examples include partnering with a local bakery to supply flour, a restaurant or catering company interested in serving “Farm Fresh” food on their menu, a wedding planning business to supply flowers, or an organization or school looking to host field-days or company outings on a farm.
Cooperatives are useful for splitting costs, marketing efforts, and accessing a larger networks of customers.
Mixed-diversified operations allow peri-urban farmers more opportunities to access urban markets and for expansion into alternative business structures beyond food production exclusively. This creates resiliency in an operation and increases its economic value which is necessary for farmers operating on high-valued and highly sought-after land. Mixed-diversified operations can look ecologically diverse or can have multiple avenues or revenue within their operation. For example, growing a mix of crops that go to different markets and offering agritourism and agritainment on the farm.
Direct to consumer business structures have the highest potential in peri-urban areas due to the proximity to a large consumer base. Some examples of direct to consumer business structures include
Culturally specific CSA: Building farm boxes with a focus on cultural food heritages
Organic CSA
Whole diet CSA: This can be done through partnerships with other local producers or with a mixed-diversified operation. A whole diet CSA might offer meat, eggs, produce, bread, kombucha, and deserts.
Cooperative CSA: This can be done to reach more consumers and to distribute the CSA workload among multiple growers.
U-pick
Farm Evolution Planning
Farm Succession Planning
What happens to a farm located on or near the urban edge can have long-term ecological and social impacts. If the farm is sold to developers, then the urban boundary may continue to expand. If the farm is sold to a new farmer, there is potential for social revitalization and ecological preservation. Making generational plans for your farmland could greatly impact how rural and urban boundaries are transformed overtime. Below are resources for different avenues peri-urban farmers can take to preserve their farmland for generations to come.
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Land Trusts
Land trusts permanently conserve the lands we need and love, ensuring they will be there for today and tomorrow. Find your local land trust from the list below.
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F.A.R.M.S
F.A.R.M.S is a legal non-profit, committed to assisting farmers and landowners retain land for future use of next generation farmer.Our legal services consist of educational workshops, intake of the farmers/landowners legal matter and connection to an attorney within our network. For the near decade that we have been in operation, we have partnered with attorneys from across the country to save small farms from a foreclosure due to a reverse mortgage, provided estate planning services, civil rights litigation and more. Service Area: Nationwide
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Farm to Farmer
Farm to Farmer is a full service program of Washington Farmland Trust that provides land access to a new generation of farmers. We help farmers find the land opportunities they need to grow their businesses, and help landowners sell or lease their land to keep it in farming. We offer personalized technical assistance to current and aspiring farmers, farming and non-farming landowners, veterans, real estate agents, and organizations looking to expand their incubator or ag park programs.
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Land for Good
Our mission is to ensure the future of farming in New England by putting more farmers more securely on more land. Since 2004 we have provided caring support and expert guidance to help farmers, landowners and communities navigate the complex challenges of land access, tenure and transfer. Our comprehensive and collaborative approach achieves solutions to help realize family, farm business and community goals.
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Land Stewardship Project
The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1982 to foster an ethic of stewardship for farmland, to promote sustainable agriculture, and to develop healthy communities. LSP is dedicated to creating transformational change in our food and farming system. LSP’s work has a broad and deep impact, from new farmer training and local organizing, to federal policy and community based food systems development. At the core of all our work are the values of stewardship, justice, and democracy.
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Rogue Farms Changing Hands Program
RFC’s Changing Hands Program, originally called the Farm Preservation Program, was established in 2015 to address the threats facing Oregon’s agricultural land and the many interrelated barriers that beginning farmers and ranchers face in building successful and sustainable careers in agriculture. The program works toward an intentional, intergenerational transition of Oregon’s farms and farmland through our Changing Hands Workshops, Farm Launch program, collaborations with partners, and tailored support to RFC Training Program graduates.
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Farm Transfer Network of New England
The Farm Transfer Network of New England (FTNNE) is a network of professionals and organizations that provides farm transfer expertise and support in the six New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. We believe that farm transfer is a critical issue to thousands of New England farm families and to those who own, manage, or value our region’s agricultural landscapes. Farm transfer planning is complicated. It’s hard to put all the pieces together. Our network is committed to working in professional teams to cover the bases and respond to the unique needs and wishes of every farm family and farmland owner that we serve.