Heartland FarmLink exists to match farm seekers with landowners making property available through sale, lease, or another arrangement.
Coordinated by Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA), the goal of Heartland FarmLink is to get—and keep—farmers on the land. Through this free site, you can connect with farmers and landowners from Ohio and nearby states and access resources that support a successful land transfer.
Covering everything from funding to business planning, our Resources Library is available to support all stages of your farming journey. For more technical or hands-on assistance, see the OEFFA Begin Farming website.
How Does This Site Work?
Through this website, you can create a farmer or farm property profile. A profile is not required to perform searches on this site, but it is needed to securely contact someone about their post.
With a Heartland FarmLink profile, you can:
- Search for land and contact landowners
- Search farmer profiles and contact farm seekers
- Advertise land for lease, partnership, or sale
- Receive automatic email updates when new opportunities are posted
Who is This Site For?
Heartland FarmLink is for beginning farmers, transitioning farmers, non-farming landowners, and everyone in between!
By 2040, Ohio could lose up to 696,800 acres to development (American Farmland Trust), and the goal of this site is to provide options for land transfers that support local food systems, local economies, and local families.
Land Transfer Assistance
This website also features a Resources Library with information on how to access, find, afford, and transfer land. Dedicated OEFFA staff are avilable to provide technical assistance to those who need support navigating this site, or would like more direct assistance as they transfer or acquire land.
To inquire about individualized assistance, please email farmlink@oeffa.org.
About OEFFA
Formed in 1979, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) cultivates a future in which sustainable and organic farmers thrive, local food nourishes our communities, and agricultural practices protect and enhance our environment.
This site is made possible through the USDA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. We encourage those who care about the transfer of land between organic farmers to consider an OEFFA membership or donation.
Glossary of Terms
- Farm Access: Permission to enter and use land, control natural resources on that land, and transfer the rights of the land.
- Farmland Transfer: The act by which property or a farm business is passed from one person to another.
- Farm Lease (Farm Rent): An agreement between a lessor (property owner) and lessee (property renter) that stipulates the terms of use for a piece of farmland. The tenancy may be short-term or long-term.
- Farm Lease (With Option to Buy): A rent-to-own contract between a tenant (lessee) and landlord (property owner) that provides the former with exclusive rights to purchase the property at a specified date during the lease term.
- Farm Sale: The sale of a property that sells at least $1,000 in agricultural products during the year.
- Farm Business Partnership: When two or more people co-own a farm property through a binding oral or written agreement.
- Farm Cooperative Model: A business association where farmers pool resources to increase revenue, reduce costs, or share risks.
- Farm Management: The various management methods and strategies used to keep a farm productive and profitable.
- Farm Apprenticeship (Farm Internship): A model where people work on a farm in exchange for education, a stipend, and sometimes meals and housing.
- Owner-Financed Sale: A transaction in which a property owner finances the purchase directly with the person buying it, instead of a bank intermediary.
- Farmland: Land which is farmed, or suitable for farming.
- Tillable Acres: The acres on land that are suitable for crop production.
- Land Development: The process of purchasing a parcel of land to change it (through digging, clearing, grubbing, stripping, grading, etc.) or build on it.
- Farmland Protection: Private, federal, and philanthropic programs to protect farmland by discouraging activities that convert it for nonagricultural purposes.
- Agricultural Easement: A voluntary, legally-binding restriction placed on farmland.
- Farm Link or Land Link: Programs that connect retiring farmers and landowners with next generation farmers.
- Next Generation Farmer: A beginning or emerging farmer, or the next generation of a farming family.
- First Generation Farmer (Beginning Farmer): Anyone who has operated a farm or ranch for less than 10 years.
*The information in this site has been provided directly by individual producers and businesses. These listings are self-reported. OEFFA does not verify claims made.