November 18 & 19, 2026
University of Wisconsin
Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St, Madison, WI 53706
Agenda • Speakers • Sponsors • Coming Soon!
Find the 2026 Upper Midwest Farmland Summit Sponsorship Form here
November 14 & 15, 2023
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Full Registration - $160*
One Day Registration - $85*
*Early bird pricing EXTENDED through October 31!
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The 2023 Farmland Summit will bring together farm leaders, change agents, policymakers, and practitioners from around the upper Midwest to dig into critical challenges and opportunities related to farmland access and transfer. Participants will gather to learn, share, and connect around an array of issues such as financing, tenure, conservation, and transfer.
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Find the 2023 Upper Midwest Farmland Summit Program here
Who will farm the 21st Century?
Will young people become farmers?
Will older farmers be able to retire?
What will farming communities look like?
A number of factors suggest that we have reasons to be concerned. They include:
- Farmland owners are aging past retirement without heirs ready to pick up thereigns.
- Larger parcels of farmland price out beginning farmers who often have less collateral to bring to the deal.
- Large yields in a global commodity system drive prices at and often below cost of production.
- Small communities have divested themselves of the amenities that are needed to attract new families.
We believe more farm families equal stronger rural communities and a more robust agricultural system. If we want a future that includes local farms and strong farming communities, we must put in place a strategy now, as it is estimated that over 20 percent of land will change ownership in the next 10 years.
It is with this goal in mind, that the Farmland Access Hub, convened by Renewing the Countryside, is hosting a Farmland Summit on October 21, 2019 in Red Wing, Minnesota.
The Farmland Summit will bring together thought leaders, change agents, policymakers and practitioners to dig into the dynamics and opportunities related to farmland access and transfer.
The day will include:
- Learning from people who are running some of the most successful models from across the country
- Understanding how policies can impact farmland access and transfer dynamics
- Delving into the financial challenges for retiring and new farmers, and exploring innovative solutions to overcoming this.
The Farmland Summit is designed to take a deep dive into these subjects and then tease out where we can apply this new knowledge to policy, strategy, and technical assistance that will help farmers find reasonable and elegant ways to transition their farms both within and outside the family and assist beginning farmers to attain affordable land access and tenure.