Farmlands Program

Farm Succession Project | Horse Country | Farmland Preservation Projects

The Farmlands Program strives to protect working rural lands such as farms and forestland. The goal of the program is to help meet the needs of farmers and ranchers who want to protect their land for the future and to ensure that a new generation of farmers has access to affordable farmland.

Landowners often face a double-edged sword. Their land is worth more for development than as a farm or ranch. By providing landowners with information about the estate, property and income tax and financial incentives of asset based farming opportunities and conservation programs, landowner are able to make comprehensive decisions about their land and long-term financial future.

How we can help.

Several outreach and educational programs address a full range of land conservation strategies with an emphasis on the financial and tax advantages to landowners. Our projects provide information, training, and assistance to both beginning and experienced farmers, as well as agency representatives, attorneys, and other stakeholders. CTF shares this information through workshops, targeted mailings, focus groups, web-based referrals and resources, and individual consultations.

The Farm Succession Program provides a collection of resources including the Florida FarmFinder. This searchable database enables beginning farmers to locate land and farming opportunities, and succession options for established farmers and landowners.

The Horse Country program works to help ensure that open spaces remain part of the Florida landscape, and the equestrian life-style is supported. See how we are working together to preserve horse country.

ranchers Florida's cattle ranches enjoy a unique place in our state's history, a place that we seek to help conserve for the future. Florida's ranchlands are irreplaceable on many levels—economically, culturally, historically and environmentally. Nearly one-fifth of Florida's landmass is in ranches and they embody a way of life whose roots trace back to 1521 when the Spanish first let cattle roam in the Florida scrub.

Cattle ranches anchor local economies and communities, foster family values and strong work ethics. Ranches also play a pivotal role in acting as a bulwark against development and providing habitat and wildlife corridors for native species.

Florida's subtropical climate is ideal for birthing and raising young cattle. Still, it is an enterprise that often yields thin profit margins, leading some to consider selling land parcels.

CTF envisions a future where Florida's family ranches and cattlemen can hold on to their land, retain their place in the state's living history and continue to be stewards of the places they cherish.