Colorado thrives thanks in large part to the hard work, dedication, and land stewardship of its farming and ranching families.

They produce the food and fiber that sustains our communities, conserve wildlife habitat, and preserve the iconic open landscapes that define our state. However, this meaningful work comes with significant challenges,

including development pressure, rising production and labor costs, climate impacts, wildfires, and water scarcity.

The need for a thoughtfully developed succession plan is also a growing area of concern particularly as the average age of agricultural producers continues to increase.

A farm and ranch succession plan is a tool that supports the gradual transfer of land, equipment, management, and knowledge assets to the next generation. Today, 40% of Colorado’s agriculture producers are 65 and older, meaning about 12 million acres of Colorado agricultural land is expected to change hands over the next 20 years, an area twice the size of the state of Maryland.

Agricultural land faces the greatest risk of conversion to other uses when it changes hands, making proactive succession planning crucial for farming and ranching families.

Enter The Land Transfer Navigator Program. This initiative unites 36 conservation organizations nationwide, to tackle two related challenges: an aging landowner population and the difficulty younger producers face in accessing affordable land. The program provides expert-led workshops, training for land trust staff on land access, and succession planning guidance, all of which is designed to increase the transfer of

agricultural working lands to a new generation. As an agricultural land trust, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust is deeply engaged in this work.

Through voluntary conservation easements, CCALT partners with landowners to ensure agricultural lands remain available for agricultural production. Because conservation easements and succession planning are often intertwined, CCALT’s participation in the program strengthens its ability to support landowners as they plan for the future of their Operations.

When discussing conservation easements, CCALT staff routinely ask landowners if they have a succession plan. Many don’t. Dan Skeeters, CCALT’s Stewardship Manager who leads the Land Transfer Navigator program, notes the lack of basic planning tools such as wills, trusts, or long-term care strategies, is an issue that needs attention and that landowners need more resources.

Dan leads one-on-one conversations with landowner families and helps organize CCALT’s succession planning workshops. In 2025, CCALT hosted three expert-led workshops as a part of its Land Transfer Navigators program, including a June 2025 event in Steamboat Springs. The workshops bring together farmers and ranchers, estate planners, legal advisors, and financial experts, to address the complexities of

land transfer and the generational hand off of agricultural operations. The workshops offer timely, actionable strategies to help families safeguard their operations and legacy.

“The best, most poignant and moving portions of the workshops we’ve done so far have been the personal stories and journeys of landowners,” Dan shares. “Those are always the highlights of these events. You can tell people what to do and give them the facts, figures, and technicalities, and that helps. But those stories really bring it home.”

CCALT plans to expand its succession planning efforts in 2026 and beyond, providing families with greater access to resources including expert guidance and peer-to-peer learning. Thoughtful succession planning and support systems will help Colorado’s agricultural working lands remain viable and productive for generations to come.

Learn more about the Land Transfer Navigator Program in the article below: https://onland.westernlandowners.org/2025/partner-spotlight/we-need-a-plan/

If you have any questions, please contact:

Dan Skeeters- CCALT Stewardship Manager and Land Transfer Navigator Lead at dan@ccalt.org

Caroline Harley- CCALT Manager of External Relations at caroline@ccalt.org

Caroline Harley is the manager of external relations at Colorado Cattlemen’s Association.