Finding farmers

The following resources may be helpful for finding farmers for a farming opportunity you have available.

NJ Farm Link Program - Online Farming Opportunity Listings  - One of the Farm Link Program's functions is help connect farm owners with farmers seeking access to land and farming opportunities. Farm owners looking for farmers may advertise the farming opportunities they have available through the Farm Link Program's free online listings.  Likewise, farm seekers may post summaries of the farming opportunities they are seeking.

Additional Print and Online Listings - Farm owners may also advertise the opportunities they have available in print publications such as the NJ Farmer newspaper, a local newspaper, or the newsletters of various local agricultural organizations. Additional online listings may also be applicable, such as the Rodale Institute classifieds or Northeast Organic Farming Association's Farmer-to-Farmer Exchange, or if the opportunity to be listed is an apprenticeship or internship, perhaps the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service or the Northeast Workers on Organic Farms websites.

Additional local contacts and word-of-mouth - Contacting your local Rutgers Cooperative Extension county agent, or speaking with local farmers and agricultural organizations, such as NOFA-NJ or a County Board of Agriculture (CBA) or County Agriculture Development Boards (CADB), may also be helpful for learning about local farmers who are seeking farming opportunities. Talking to people locally and using word-of-mouth is oftentimes a very effective way to advertise a farming opportunity that is available. 

For information on additional, local agricultural organizations, see the Directory of Agricultural Organizations published by the NJ Department of Agriculture or the Green Pages, an agricultural resource guide published by Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

Types of farmers seeking farming opportunities - Farmers seeking access to land include established as well as new and beginning farmers. Established farmers are often looking to relocate or expand an existing farm operation (or sometimes to partner with another person or work as a farm manager). Similiarly, new and beginning farmers are often looking for land in order to start or expand a new farm business (or to partner, manage, or work on a farm). 

New farmers are a diverse group and come from from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, including: people who grew up on a farm; recent college graduates who are interested in farming but who may have little farming experience; people who are looking to transition to farming from successful non-farm carreers; and recent immigrants who may have more significant agricultural experience.

The New Farmer Development Project (NFDP) is one organization that works with immigrants who are interested in farming.  The program is based in New York City and often has farmers looking for farming opportunities.  NFDP could be another organization to contact for assistance with finding farmers.

To learn more about the "access to land" issues faced by new and established farmers, visit the Growing New Farmers (GNF) website or read Access to Land, an article co-authored by GNF and the New England Small Farm Institute. The Spring 2004 edition of The Natural Farmer also has a special supplement on "Access to Land."

NJ Farmland Preservation Program - For owners of unpreserved farmland who are looking to sell their land and see it remain in agriculture, the Farmland Preservation Program may be of assistance. By selling a farm's development rights through the preservation program, the land is preserved and the farn's cost to a potential farmer-buyer can be lowered.

Sometimes, a farm owner may not be able to preserve his or her farm in a timely manner. The Farmland Preservation Program's Fee Simple Purchase Program may be able to help in these situations. If the farm meets the program's eligibility criteria, the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) can buy the land at the land's unrestricted market value, preserve the farm by applying theprogram's standard deed restrictions, and then resell the newly-preserved farm at auction. Local county agriculture development boards, municipalities, and non-profits may also be interested in similarly purchasing and preserving farms for agriculture.

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Creating tenure agreements

The following resources may help with creating tenure agreements between farm owners and farmers.

A Lease Agreement Guide for Landowners and Farmers - A concise guide that presents landowners and farmers with the basic elements to consider when discussing or structuring a lease agreement - Available online through the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Holding Ground: A Guide to Northeast Farmland Tenure and Stewardship - A publication that addresses farmland access, transfer, affordability, and stewardship issues. "Holding Ground" examines leases and other tenure arrangements, and it contains sample lease provisions with explanations, sample stewardship standards, worksheets, and case studies. Specific sections include: Principles and challenges of farmland tenure; Short-term leases; Long-term leases and other non-traditional tenure models; Paths to ownership; Farmland stewardship; and Negotiating, monitoring and enforcing agreements. Holding Ground is a publication of the Intervale Foundation (VT) and the New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI) (MA). Its eighteen authors include farmers, landowners, attorneys, and land use specialists. (162 pages)

The NJ Farm Link Program has a limited number of copies available specifically for NJ landowners and farmers ($20/copy - contact NJ Farm Link at 609-984-2504 to obtain one).  For additional copies (at $30/copy), please visit the NESFI bookstore or call NESFI at 413-323-4531.

Business Partners: A Joint Business Agreement Guide (Partnerships, Mergers, Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances, and Contracts) - Available through NY Farm Link (cost: $12).

A New Lease on Farmland: Assuring a Future for Farming in the Northeast - An essay published by the E. F. Schumacher Society with a section that discusses leasing considerations.

Computing a Cropland Cash Rental Rate - An Iowa State University Extension fact-sheet that discusses approaches for determining and considering a rental rate.

Additional sample lease and leasing resources - A page of resources compiled by Land For Good, a non-profit specializing in access to land, leasing, farm transfer planning, and more.
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