What if my organic certification has lapsed or the land is fallow?

We accept farms entirely “as-is,” even if the certification has expired or the fields have been unmanaged for years. You do not need to invest capital to re-certify the soil before donating.

How is the tax deduction calculated for an organic farm?

The IRS recognizes the immense value of organically cultivated land, allowing you to base your charitable deduction on the property’s highest fair market value. We guide you through coordinating a certified land appraisal, ensuring your CPA receives the exact, IRS-compliant documentation required to confidently shield your finances from capital gains.

Will we have to pay specialized agricultural closing fees or commissions?

No. You will never pay agricultural broker commissions or closing fees. We take over the heavy lifting, managing the title search and all complex deed transfer paperwork required to cleanly transition your farm.

Donate an Organic Farm to Charity

Certified organic ground takes years to build, and the certification history is part of what makes the land valuable. Real Estate with Causes accepts donated organic and specialty farms nationwide: vegetable farms, orchards, pasture-raised livestock operations and diversified small farms, with barns, hoop houses and farmhouses included. We work around the growing season and any tenant farmer.

Tell us about the property

Every property gets a look. Name, phone and email are the only required fields.

Farmland Donation Intake

What kind of farm or ranch ground?

City, state and ZIP

Estimated Property Value?

Total acres

Tillable acres, if you know

Parcel or APN number

Irrigation and water rights

Is it leased to a farmer?

Enrolled in CRP or a conservation program?

Buildings on the ground

Barns, grain bins, shop, a house. Leave blank if it is bare ground.

Why the certification history matters

Land must go without prohibited substances for three years before crops from it can be certified organic. Ground with an unbroken certified history is ready for an organic buyer immediately, which can support its value.

Keeping the history intact

Records of inputs, field maps and the certifier’s inspection reports should transfer with the farm. A lapse in management before the sale can break the chain.

Buildings, equipment and the growing season

Barns, hoop houses and a farmhouse are part of the real estate. Tractors, tools and irrigation equipment are personal property and are handled separately.

For land held more than a year, the deduction is generally fair market value, limited to 30% of AGI with a five-year carryforward. We time the transfer around the season so a crop in the ground is not lost.

What to have ready when you call

Your certifier file has most of this.

Certification records

Certifier, certificate and the most recent inspection report.

Field maps and input records

They document the land’s organic history for a buyer.

Any farm lease

If another farmer works the ground now.

Organic farm donation questions, answered

Does the organic certification transfer with the land? +

Certification belongs to the operation, not the land, but the land’s history of organic management is what a buyer values. Keeping the records intact preserves that history.

My certification lapsed last year. Does that matter? +

It can reduce value, depending on how the land was managed since. Tell us and we will review it.

A young farmer leases the land. What happens to them? +

The lease transfers with the farm and we become the landlord for its term.

Can the farm stay in agriculture? +

We cannot promise a future use, since most donated farms are sold. If keeping it farmed matters to you, a conservation easement or a sale to a farmer may fit better.

Are hoop houses and irrigation part of the gift? +

Permanent structures convey with the land. Movable equipment is personal property and is handled separately.

We do not provide tax or legal advice. See IRS Publication 526, Publication 561 and the Form 8283 instructions, and consult your own advisor.