Buying farmland is an exciting and nerve-wracking endeavor, and usually involves forking over a significant chunk of change. Before you spend your hard-earned cash, it’s a good idea to make sure you are thinking through the potential legal issues that may arise when purchasing a farm. To help you do this, start by reading the Basics of Due Diligence on an Agricultural Parcel. This short tipsheet will walk you through researching the costs, responsibilities, and opportunities associated with a potential farmland acquisition. If you’re particularly harboring concerns about zoning and would like guidance on (a) how to research your zoning code and (b) how to move forward concerning a zoning code challenge, read Strategies for Navigating Zoning Codes and Challenges.

For an interactive learning experience on your own schedule, take our self-paced course Asking Important Questions About an Agricultural Parcel. This self-paced course helps producers identify the costs, responsibilities, and opportunities associated with a parcel of agricultural land.

To learn about risk management with regards to financing, read our Farmland Purchasing Basics, a short tipsheet that offers tips on preventing the most common legal issues that can arise when purchasing farmland. You can also check out our free 30min. podcast, Podcast Episode One: Funds for Farms; it includes a discussion on options for farm loans and the legal risks associated with them.

If you are ready to dig deep into farmland purchasing, read our Legal Aspects of Purchasing and Financing Farmland (32pgs.), which explores financing strategies for purchasing land for your farm operation. You will learn the ins and outs of gifts, grants, crowdfunding, loans, mortgages, seller financing, investors, and land contracts, and the various related legal issues to be aware of with each of the strategies.