S1Ep1: A Promise Kept

The Sheltons are protecting their ranch with a conservation easement — but now they have to bring their family together to put a succession plan into place. Jim and Sara Shelton have been thinking about succession planning for nearly a decade. Alongside their four children, they’ve been to workshops, listened to podcasts, and talked to farming friends. In other words, they have studied for the test — and now they’re putting their knowledge into action. The Sheltons’ conservation easement protects their land from real estate development and buys them time to work through family dynamics. But even though they know what to do and which tools to use, the work of succession planning is still a journey. Join us as we talk with these Oklahoma ranchers who are in the “messy middle”— and trying to find their way forward.  

A new farmer finds her calling on land she doesn’t own. Ann Gilman wanted to farm — to root into the Washington soil and build a viable small business. She had studied the art and science of sustainable agriculture. She was driven and devoted. But she couldn’t find affordable land on which to grow her vision. That is, until she met Bob and Donna Gilby. As newly retired farmers, Bob and Donna were looking for someone to tend their land and give it the same sort of care that they had. The aging couple connected with Ann, who started to lease some of the acreage. Soon after, a beautiful partnership blossomed. Now, with a little help from a trusted advisor, Ann, Bob, and Donna are working toward a long-term vision for the farm that meets all their goals.  

After high school, Marshall Bartlett left his family’s farm in the Mississippi Hill Country to attend college in New England. He loved working the land with his dad, and he loved Mississippi, but he needed to get away and explore. A few years later, he was itching to come home—but he wasn’t sure how. His family’s farm was a conventional row crop operation, and he wasn’t interested in managing it. So he started sketching business ideas on napkins. Eventually, he came up with an idea for a regenerative livestock operation. He would rotationally graze his animals, process them in a small plant on the farm, and sell directly to consumers. Check out Marshall’s story and the strategies that brought his vision to life.  

Across the country, professionals are helping aging farmers and ranchers make plans for their land. These “Land Transfer Navigators” are securing the future of agriculture one farm, family, and community at a time. In this episode, ride along with Dan Skeeters—a Navigator from Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust—as he supports two different ranching families through the ins and outs of succession planning. But be warned. Among the tales of triumph are moments of heartbreak: sold-off cattle herds and uncertain futures, lost family land and shattered identities. Dan and other Navigators are right there through it all, offering advice, encouragement, and hope.  

Matthew and Althea Raiford didn't plan on becoming farmers. They left their South Georgia town when they were young, pursuing different paths. But eventually, their family’s 150-year-old farming legacy called the two siblings home—only for them to find that their family’s land had been broken up by forces beyond their control. So they got to work.   With creativity, cooperation, and an unrelenting commitment to a place and its people, Matthew, Althea, and others are recovering their land and legacy. Tune in to hear about how they’re honoring the past, securing the future, and fulfilling a new agrarian vision.

As a child, Dustin Watson promised his grandparents that he would keep the family’s farm going. He would care for the land and livestock just like the generations before him. But complex family dynamics, a lack of succession planning, and rising land prices in his rural Virginia community put the farm’s future in jeopardy. Through tired and teary eyes, he saw the end of a legacy closing in. In this episode, Dustin fights to keep a promise to secure his farming dream—and ensure that his family’s land will remain a farm forever.

American farmers are aging, and the land they own will soon change hands. How that land transfers—and to whom it transfers—will shape the future of our food and farming systems. In this prologue, hosts Brooks Lamb and Megan Faller introduce the show and themselves, and they share why farm succession planning and next-generation land access are so important to them personally. You’ll also hear from the farmers, ranchers, and advisors whose stories root the rest of the season. Welcome to LANDED. We’re glad you’re here.