Land Together Learning Network

Eight adults and two kids stand dispersed on a small farm field in the sunshine.

Interested in farming collaboratively—but want to be truly ready to seek and hold land? The NOFA-VT Land Together Learning Network is a new cohort designed for individuals and groups who want to collectively, collaboratively, or cooperatively acquire and steward land for agrarian projects.

Rather than focusing on securing land right away, this learning network supports participants in building the foundational pieces—shared values, governance and decision-making structures, business and legal models, and strong relationships—so you’re ready to move when the right opportunity arises. As a group, we will explore the complexities of creating new alternative land access pathways and inform the future of collaborative land access work at NOFA-VT and beyond. 

Participants will be farmers or growers in one of the following circumstances:

  • Seeking land for agriculture
  • Holding more agricultural land than they need and looking to share it
  • Currently sharing land for agriculture and working to develop more functional systems for working together

 

If you have a group of partners assembled already, we strongly recommend you participate as a group. This learning network will be beneficial to strengthening your group and beginning to make collective decisions. For those who do not yet have groups assembled, participating as an individual is also welcome.

Applications for the 2026 Land Together Learning Network are open through Friday, February 20th. Participants will be notified by the first week of March, and the network will kick off with an in-person session in South Royalton on Tuesday, March 24. 9:30-3:30 with Relational Uprising.

Apply Today

Curious if this will be a good fit for you before applying? Join an online info session on February 10th, 12-1 pm. Join to learn more details about this learning network, how it came together, what you can expect, and get your questions answered.

 

Program Objectives

  • Prepare land stewards to successfully access land in a group when an opportunity arises
  • Increase land access opportunities for BIPOC land stewards and other marginalized groups who have been systematically denied access to land, as well as for those who lack access to generational wealth
  • Build the skills and knowledge needed for functional collective agriculture projects, including relationship, governance, legal, and financial tools
  • Foster supportive relationships among people with similar collective land use goals.
  • Explore the future of collaborative land use projects, moving the land access conversation in Vermont forward in a meaningful way by creating pathways for future projects
  • Build a network of farmers and practitioners to support future collective land access projects
Program Details
Program Offerings

In response to growing interest in collective and collaborative models for agriculture and rapidly rising land prices, this learning network will offer participants an opportunity to dive deeply into the rewards and challenges of collective models and build the necessary skills to get on land together. We will learn about a variety of models, including running multiple businesses on one piece of land, multiple partners running a single business, decommodifying land, and other collective structures. Through the process of learning together, participants will have the opportunity to build relationships and communication skills and learn tools for collective decision-making, conflict resolution, and transformation. Discussion of legal, financial, and governing structures will also be included.

Participants will learn from experts and each other, and they will have the opportunity to work 1:1 with business advisors on farm viability to support the long-term success of the agricultural project on social, economic, and environmental levels. Opportunities for mentorship with growers currently farming in collective arrangements will be available.

This learning network will be facilitated by Megan Browning, NOFA-VT, and Fran Miller, Vermont Law School Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS), with support from Martha Caswell, UVM Center for Agroecology, and Liz Turner, Vermont Law School CAFS.

We are all in this learning experience together, and participants in the learning network will have the opportunity to co-create the learning experiences based on shared interests and goals of the group. While there is a general outline prepared for our time together, we will look to the participants to guide the learning, discussion, and exploration of these topics.
 

Schedule

The Land Together Learning Network will include a combination of in-person and virtual sessions. We ask that participants commit to showing up for the first in-person session on March 24th, all virtual sessions (approximately every 3-4 weeks), at least one in-person farm visit during the growing season, and our final in-person session in January of 2027. Additionally, there may be a small amount of work asked of participants in between sessions to ensure that our time together is well spent. Full schedule details >>

 

Intake Calls, Early March

Relationship and Communication, Tuesday, March 24th, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm (In Person in South Royalton)
Presenters: Cedar Landsman and Lucién Demaris from Relational Uprising

Building a Shared Vision, Wednesday, April 8th, 12 - 2 pm (Virtual)
Presenters: Rise and Root Farm

Accessing Farmland Together - A Variety of Structures, Wednesday, May 6th, 12 - 2 pm (Virtual)
Presenters: The Chester Agriculture Center, Land For Good, NOFA-VT business advisors, and farmer panel (TBA)

Collaborative Land Use in Action, Monthly, June - September (exact dates TBD) (In Person)
Visits to farms, sites TBD based on group interest

Land Assessment Tools (For Land Seekers), Week of Oct 5th (exact day TBD) (Virtual)
Presenters TBA

Site Planning Tools (For Land Holders), Week of Oct 26 (exact day TBD) (Virtual)
Presenters TBA

Governance and Decision Making, Week of Nov 16 (exact day TBD) (Virtual)
Presenters: Frederic Theriault, Tourne Sol/Farm Coop Academy, and additional presenters TBA

Legal Structures and Finances, Week of Dec 7 (exact day TBD) (Virtual)
Presenters: Fran Miller and Liz Turner, Vermont Law School, and farmer presenters TBA

Planning for Change, Week of Jan 4 (exact day TBD) (In Person, Location TBD)

Cost

Support for this program comes from the Vermont Law School Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, and VT Working Lands Enterprise Initiative. There is no fee to participate in this program.

Applications Are Open!

Apply by February 20th, 2026. For more information, attend our info session on February 10th, 12-1 pm, or contact Megan at [email protected].

Apply Today