Greetings Farmland Access Hub Partners!
We hope you all had a jubilant Thanksgiving holiday and are coasting into this final month of 2022 with ease. There are a few things going on here at the Farmland Access Hub that we would like to share with you.
Farmland Access Advancement Team
In the last year, the Farmland Access Hub formed a small Advancement Team to push forward certain land access initiatives. Advancement Team members were able to sculpt three working groups comprised of relevant Minnesota professionals to focus on:
Farmland Access Policy
Alternative Models of Land Access
Identifying, Engaging, and Educating Landowners
These groups meet monthly via zoom and continue to work on their respective objectives going into 2023. If you have an interest in learning more about (or participating in), one of our small working groups please contact Bonnie Warndahl at bonnie@rtcinfo.org or call 612-462-9311.
Navigators
Our Farmland Access Navigators have been continuing training to better serve land-seeking clients. Once-monthly, Navigators from all three states (Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin) meet via zoom for discussion and learning. Some recent virtual trainings have included
Agricultural Conservation Easements through American Farmland Trust
Farmer Mental Health Resources through Eyes on the Horizon Consulting
Legal Support through Farm Commons
Upcoming Events
Hoch Orchard & Gardens—Today, Monday December 12, 2022 from 4–6 p.m. CST Renewing the Countryside will host an online event featuring Hoch Orchard & Gardens—a well-established orchard and cider business in southeastern Minnesota—in an effort to aid owners Harry and Jackie Hoch in finding successors for their farm and business. Join us for a virtual tour of the farm and facilities, learn about operations and plans for transitioning the business, and participate in an open discussion/Q & A. This event is free and open to the public, however, registration is required. Sharing is encouraged. Reserve your ticket here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/hochorchardvirtualevent/809824
University of Wisconsin-Extension—Farm Management Friday webinar on Land Legacy Strategies, Friday, December 16, 11 a.m. to noon. A collaborative writing project between UW Madison Extension and the Farmland Access Hub is nearly complete and will soon be published on the UW Extension website. Co-authors Kaitlyn Davis (UW Extension), Alison Volk (American Farmland Trust), and Bonnie Warndahl (Farmland Access Navigator) are working on three articles with the focus of educating landowners about the challenges beginning and immigrant farmers struggle with, while encouraging them to think ahead about planning for the transition of their land. Additionally, the articles provide information about agricultural conservation easements and protecting farmland into the future. In February a follow-up video on these topics will be posted to the UW Extension website.
Land for Sale/Transition?
Do you have land for sale or rent? Do you know someone interested in transitioning their farm to the next generation? We are collecting a database of land “profiles” so that we can better connect land-seekers and landowners. Please send any questions or referrals to Bonnie Warndahl at bonnie@rtcinfo.org or call 612-462-9311.
Thanks so much for your support and ongoing interest in Farmland Access.
Warmth,
The Farmland Access Hub