Rural Issue

Free farm family transition series

Families interested in beginning the farm transition process can start for free with a new webinar series.

Kristine Ranger is one-fourth of the Ag Transition Partners group coordinating the project with American Agri-Women. She tells Brownfield farm family succession is a challenging and complex problem.

“An estimated 70 percent of farms and farmland is transitioning in the next 20 years and fewer than 50 percent of farmers have estate plans, less than 70 percent have named successors, and less than 11 percent have farm business transition plans in place.”

Ranger says this succession planning project will include a webinar series, coaching and an action plan for transition.

“We believe that poor family communication is similarly a symptom of a deeper issue.” She tells Brownfield, “We’re going to dive into those deeper issues and help them have more effective communication with the professionals that will enable them eventually create an estate plan and effectively transition the business and the farmland.”

Ranger says families can learn more about the project and the first webinar on August 18 by visiting the American Agri-Women website.

AUDIO: Interview with Kristine Ranger (9:52 mp3):