(NAFB) – American Farmland Trust announced its selection of a new national cohort of 48 leading experts in land transfer as partners in creating Transitioning Land to a New Generation.

The project will build an adaptable, skills-based curriculum to help a new generation of farmers and ranchers navigate the legal, financial and interpersonal issues in accessing and transferring land. More than 40 percent of American farmland is owned by seniors aged 65 and older who are likely to retire in the next decade or so. Given the demographics, AFT estimates, 371 million acres or one-third of U.S. farmland will likely transition to new ownership in the next 15 years.

Transitioning is funded by a Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The three-year project builds on AFT’s previous grant project, Farmland for the Next Generation. Both projects are part of AFT’s ongoing, multi-faceted partnerships with organizations committed to helping beginning producers succeed.