Beginning Farmer Resources

Part of our mission at the conservation district is to support and preserve working farmland on our island. The average age of farmers in the Pacific Northwest is 58 years old, and Whidbey Island is no exception. Now, more than ever before, we need to help the next generation of farmers access affordable and fertile farmland in order to keep our farmland in production and our food local. 

​Beginning farmers are farmers with ten years or less of experience as the principle decision makers on their farm. If you are a beginning farmer, or a new farmer looking for resources and land, or an island farmer ready to begin succession planning, WICD is here to help!

We have resources on accessing farmland, planning your farm's succession, funding your farm, and connecting with other organizations that assist farmers.

Visit our Farm & Ag page for technical resources as well as information about farm plans and financial assistance through the conservation district.

Check out our Ag Community page for marketing and networking resources. 

Technical Assistance & Farm Plans

If you'd like to find farmland to farm on Whidbey Island, create a farm plan for your property, begin the farmland succession process, or address a resource concern on your land, please contact our office at (888) 678-4922 or fill out the form below to get started.

Request Technical Assistance

Click a Tab Below for More Resources:

​Farmland access resources

Starting a Farm

• Cultivating the Next Generation: Resources & Policies to Help Beginning Farmers Succeed in Agriculture (American Farmland Trust)
• ​​Resources for Starting a Farm (National Center for Appropriate Technology)
• ​Finding, Assessing, and Securing Farmland: A Plain Language Guide from the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project​​ (New Entry Sustainable Farming)
• ​USDA's New Farmer Getting Started Resource Page

Acquiring Land to Farm

• ​​​​Acquiring Land to Farm Guide (Land for Good)
• ​How to Present Yourself to a Landowner (California FarmLink)
• Acquiring Your Farm (Land for Good): a free, online tutorial for aspiring, new, and beginning farmers - and others - preparing to access farmland. AYF contains lessons organized around seven topics and designed to provide a thorough introduction to the complex issues of farmland access and tenure. The only tutorial includes sessions on 1) Farmland Tenure Basics; 2) Financial Assessment; 3) Owning Farmland; 4) Finding Farmland; 5) Leasing Farmland; 6) Communications & Negotiation; and 7) Community Partners.​​

Leasing Land to Farm

• ​Elements of a Good Farm Lease (Land for Good)
• Farmland Leasing: Success for Landlords & Tenants Fact Sheet (American Farmland Trust)
• ​Farmland Tenure and Leasing Legal Guide (Land for Good)
• Lease to Own Factsheet (California FarmLink)
• Agricultural Cash Lease Basic Template (California FarmLink)
• ​The Landowners Guide to Sustainable Farm Leases  (Drake University Agricultural Law Center)
• ​Model Agriculture Ground Lease Agreement (Equity Trust)
• Model Ground Lease Commentary  (Equity Trust)
• Sample Short-term Lease Agreement (Land for Good)

Farmland succession & transfer resources

Farm Succession & Transfer 

​Strategies

• Farmland Succession Guidebook (California FarmLink)
• Successful Farm Transfer Guide for Farmers Without a Designated Successor (Land for Good)
• The Farmland Transfer Process (Land for Good)
• Where Do I Start? Transferring the Farm Guide (Land for Good)
• ​Planning the Future of Your Farm: A Workbook Supporting Specialty Crop Farm Transfer Decisions (WSCC Office of Farmland Preservation)

Farmland Conservation

• Model Conservation Easement with Option to Purchase (Equity Trust)
• Farms for Farmers (Equity Trust) - promotes alternative ownership structures for farms, to benefit farmers who need affordable farmland and communities that want a secure source of locally grown food and a way to preserve their environmental heritage.​

Working with Land Trusts

Many land trusts throughout the country have protected farmland through 1) direct acquisition for future lease to a farmer; 2) purchase then protection through a conservation easement, then resale; and 3) simultaneous purchase together with a farmer, including protection through a conservation easement. Conservation easements may specifically address future farming, or be more general. However, recent studies have shown that agricultural conservation easements do not necessarily ensure that the land is available for future farming.

• Conservation and Affordability of Working Lands: Nine Case Studies of Land Trusts Working with Next-Generation Farmers (WA Land Trusts)
• Whidbey Camano Land Trust
  

Funding resources

Funding Resources

Center for Rural Affairs

• ​Beg. Farmer Funding & Financing Options
• Beg. Farmer Financing Strategies

National Sustainable Agriculture Association

• ​Direct Farm Ownership & Operating Loans

National Young Farmers Coalition

• ​Credit & Capital for New Farmers
• ​Crowd Sourcing for New Farmers

​USDA Farm Service Agency

• ​Beg. Farmer Loan Programs
• Guide to Farm Service Agency Farm Loans
• Land Contract Guarantee Program

top resource organizations

Top Resource Organizations

The following is a list of organizations that offer workshops, resources, and other support for new farmers and farmland owners seeking to transfer their farms. This is not a comprehensive list, as there are many other organizations dedicated tot he goal of sustainable farming, including connecting new farmers to farmland. 

• American Farmland Trust - Farmland Info Center provides an extensive resource library and information for beginning farmers, farmland succession, farmland conservation, and more.
• ATTRA - A national sustainable agriculture assistance program, developed & managed by NCAT
• Washington FarmLink
• California FarmLink
• Equity Trust
• Land for Good
• National Young Farmers Coalition
• New Entry Sustainable Farm Project