You’ve worked hard to keep your farm alive. You’re proud of it. It’s like a child to you. And, like any child, you think about its future. You want what’s best for it, and you want to ensure it will be in safe hands after you’re gone. This farm is your legacy. It is years […]
Category: Farming
Conservation easements are a powerful tool to protect farm and ranchland from development and keep it in the family. How do they work? Each conservation easement is a legal agreement that binds to the land into the future. It becomes part of the title of the land. Depending on the reason for the easement, different […]
Farm life isn’t known for being easy. Yet, there are also rewards like knowing that instead of a stressful commute you are heading into the sun-kissed fields. When tension strikes, it is important to address it right away because everyone knows that nothing is so important that it should come between a farm family. Use […]
“10% of Farmland Expected to be Transferred by 2019.” This is the title of an article on the Wisconsin Ag Connection website that points out the overall advanced age of U.S. farmers. Approximately a third reached the age of 65 in 2014. By 2019 farmland owners are projected to transfer 93 million acres, mostly though […]
The farm is not only a homestead, but a living heritage and a coveted inheritance. It is something that many of you were given as a birthright and you probably plan on giving it to your own children in turn. As times, customs, and priorities change over each generation, the older farmers sometimes struggle to […]
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3 Benefits of The Family Farm
The concept of the family farm used to be a very commonplace staple in American culture. Today family owned and operated farms are less common but still an increasingly important part of human culture, both domestic and worldwide. Encouraging more families to take part in family farming has many benefits. It Teaches Cause and Effect Often in […]
It’s never too soon to decide who will care for the family farm when you are ready to pass the torch to the next generation. Unfortunately, it is a conversation all to often postponed until it’s too late. A recent article on estate planning notes that, “Individuals put off estate planning because they think they don’t own […]
Multigenerational Farming offers the chance for a younger generation to reap what’s been sowed by their parents and grandparents. Although there are always new machines and techniques to make farming less labor intensive and more efficient, these new-fangled methods could also have unforeseen consequences. This article touches on two examples where the new generation of farmers […]
As farmers, we face daily struggles. Family farms looking to transition from one generation to the next, face even greater challenges. When the children of the family are young, it’s easy to put off future planning. When they enter the teenage years, their contribution is great and this is, quite possibly, the most productive time for […]
Since every farmer, and every farm, is unique, estate planning should fit the uniqueness of a situation. This is especially true when transitioning a farm to a new owner. One of the key elements of any transition is fairness – to the owner and the new owner. When the transition involves a direct family member, a common approach is to […]
