Farm Transition Beyond Family: Practical Lessons from the Field
Many farmers and producers do not have a succession plan or next generation successor, yet the future of their land, business, and knowledge depends on thoughtful transition planning. This session will explore non-familial land transfer and succession through a moderated conversation featuring multiple perspectives and scenarios, including exiting farmers or landowners and entering farmers. Panelists will share practical lessons from real-world experiences, including how connections were made, what barriers emerged, and which strategies helped move the process forward. Topics will include affordability, financing, and communication.
About the Speakers
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Amy Frye
Boldly Grown FarmAmy Frye and Jacob Slosberg are the co-owners of Boldly Grown Farm, a certified organic vegetable farm in Washington’s Skagit Valley, which they’ve grown over the past decade into a thriving wholesale, CSA, and farm-stand business. The two met at the University of British Columbia, where Amy earned a Master’s in Resource Management and Environmental Studies and Jacob studied agroecology, and where they both worked at the campus farm before starting their own. They came to farming through their environmental values and are passionate about feeding their community with healthy, locally grown food while stewarding their land and water resources and creating living-wage agricultural jobs. Beyond the food they grow, both are active in the broader agricultural community through mentorship and advocacy—Amy on the Local Advisory Committee for AgWest Farm Credit, Jacob as President of the Puget Sound Food Hub Co-op—working to strengthen the resilience of the regional food system. Amy and Jacob have two kids, Leo (9) and Ayla (5), who love living on the farm.
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Anne Schwartz
Blue Heron FarmAnne Schwartz lives and farms in Rockport in Eastern Skagit Valley. Blue Heron Farm produces certified organic berries marketed regionally and in Mt Vernon at the Skagit Food Coop. Anne participated in the development of organic certification laws and regulatory development at the state and national levels for over 25 years. Anne was an active advocate in the creation of the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR), at WSU, and has served on their Advisory Council since 1989. For several years she has served as an Advisory Board member for several of the Deans of the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resources at WSU- currently Dr Raj Khosla. She served on the Boards of Tilth Producers and Tilth Alliance for many years. Her focus now is to advocate for research and public policy that supports organic agriculture through the creation of and as a Governing Council member of the Coalition for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture (CORA).
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Elizabeth Bragg
Long Hearing FarmElizabeth Bragg is a Land Transfer Specialist for the Pacific Northwest Region at American Farmland Trust, where she advances equitable land access and stewardship. She is also a worker-owner at Long Hearing Farm, a certified organic, multiracial rural worker’s cooperative rooted in sustainable agriculture and Indigenous foodways. Elizabeth brings over a decade of farming experience and a strong background in community organizing to her work supporting farmers and advocating for food justice.