For the farmland owner:
Maine FarmLink may help you find a farmer who can work with you to keep your land in farming. There are a large and growing number of prospective farmers who are ready, willing and able to farm in Maine. FarmLink maintains a statewide database of these persons—one may be a perfect match. Resources also available to aid farmland owners in making their land available to a new farmer.
Program Eligibility
To join the program you must own a farm or farmland in Maine.
- If you have a farm or farmland that you would like to find a new farmer for, please fill out the Online Application Form.
- If you do not own farmland in Maine, but you know of farmland that is in transition or for sale or lease, and you would like to see it transferred to a new farmer, please contact info@mainefarmlink.org.
- If you are transferring your farm to a family member, please contact info@mainefarmlink.org.
Once your application is received, we will review your information and contact you with the next steps.
FAQs for Farm Owners:
- How is enrolling my property with FarmLink different from listing my property with a Realtor?
FarmLink is NOT a real estate brokerage. Rather, it is simply a program that connects farmland owners who wish to sell or lease their properties with potential buyers or lessees. We do work with real estate agents to assist in the sale. NOTE: Landowners who wish to list with a Realtor may still want to enroll in FarmLink. There is no downside to doing this. It may help sell your property —and it will increase the likelihood that your property is sold to someone who wants to farm it. - When should a farmland owner use FarmLink?
If you are selling farmland and would like to see your land bought by someone who will farm it, we strongly recommend that you enroll in FarmLink. FarmLink is specifically targeting buyers who want to farm. Sometimes landowners choose to enroll with FarmLink for several months before listing with a Real Estate Agent; but many register their property in FarmLink and with a Real Estate Agent at the same time. However, if you are thinking of leasing (as opposed to selling) farmland, FarmLink is often the only option for systematically connecting with farmers. - Is there a cost to enroll a property?
While there is no cost to enroll in FarmLink, to ensure the future of the program, we encourage anyone who uses the services to become a member of Maine Farmland Trust. The standard individual membership cost is $30/year. And we greatly appreciate your support! - I see Maine Farmland Trust has a Buy/Protect/Sell program. Will my property be reviewed in consideration for the BPS program? Yes. All farm properties that get enrolled in FarmLink are reviewed by our Lands Department, to see if it qualifies for the program. MFT considers all BPS projects carefully, and rejects many projects for each one it pursues. Financially, MFT must fill the gap between what it pays for a farm and what the farm sells for once protected, which it does through various strategies, including local fundraising. If MFT does not have a viable strategy to fill this gap and thus “break-even,” MFT will not pursue the project.