Maybe not everyone in the family can come back to the farm. Written for Farm Futures and initially published in the March/April 2025 issue. A sustainable family farm has three components: unity, assets, and people. Last month, we talked about family unity, but today, let's talk about assets. Particularly long-term growth of family assets. Family asset growth is one of the top three components of a sustainable family farm. Farming takes a lot of capital. It takes a lot of time to grow that capital and takes a lot of reinvestment into the farm. One of the important key elements...
Category: Succession Planning
Business Growth Strategy, Succession Planning
Are you intentional with your farm business in these areas?
Unity, drive, talent, grit, asset growth and future planning are key areas to focus on to sustain the family business through the next generation. Written for Progressive Dairy and originally published March 13, 2025 here. I'm sure you have heard the adage that the third generation loses the farm. This is not unique to America, and this saying has existed in almost all cultures over hundreds of years. Sustainability is a buzzword we often hear, but what about the sustainability of the family farm? What does it take for a farm to sustain itself generation after generation? Why does it...
Communication, Leadership, Succession Planning
Family Unity
First of the 3 Elements needed for a Sustainable Family Business Written for Farm Futures and originally published at in their Jan/Feb 2025 issue. There is an adage. The first generation starts it, the second builds it and the third generation loses it. A variation of this saying is in almost all cultures, some going back several thousand years. Sustaining a family business is hard. Clients have told me it's harder than starting a family business. I believe it. When we initially ask a new client about their concerns about sustaining the family business, we often hear concerns about the...
Succession Planning
Motivating the Next Generation to Step Up
Aside from preparing the next generation with the skill sets they need to be successful in managing the farm, increase the chances of them wanting to come back to the farm by creating work and life boundaries and aligning expectations to help family dynamics at work and home. Written for Progressive Dairy and originally published 11/4/2024 here. Dad and Mom want their son to return to the farm to continue the legacy. Junior and his new bride didn't seem that interested as they settled into building successful careers. It wasn't that Junior and Bride didn't like farming; they did. They...
Succession Planning, Uncategorized
Farm Dangers both physical and mental
Even Superman has his limits. Written for Farm Futures and originally published at xxx on xxx Farms are dangerous places, and most of us know of someone who was injured or killed in a farm accident. When accidents happen the farm community rallies around the family and provides support. Go to many farms today, and there you will see high-visibility clothing, training programs, and discussions on how to stay safe during pre-harvest employee meetings. Farming is dangerous, beyond equipment-related injuries and deaths. Farming kills and injures at the mental level as well, but we often don't want to acknowledge...
Succession Planning
Transition Planning Traps
Four tips to avoid transition planning problems. Written for Progressive Dairy and originally published 5/30/2024 HERE. Sustainability applies not only to the environment but also to sustaining future generations of farmers. It's also important to keep in mind that succession or transition planning in a strong dairy market is easier than in a tough market. Not only is there more optimism for the future and more options for growth, but there is also more money to go around. Unfortunately, today, there isn't extra money in dairy. Sustainable family dairies are strong in three areas: family unity, family asset growth...
Succession Planning
The Five Steps You Need to Know to Create a Farm Legacy
Determining the roles people will play in the process is the first step. Written for Milk Business Quarterly and originally published 4/30/24 on dairyherd.com So, you've had the family meeting regarding transition planning and agree that you need to start the process. Now what? Every situation is unique. We've done transition planning for twenty years and have developed a process that is flexible enough to allow for the unique needs of each family. For anyone who has run a dairy, processes come naturally. Milking, feeding, and reproduction all have detailed processes. This framework is just another process, with steps and...
Succession Planning
Transition Planning – Where to begin on a short notice.
Sometimes, you don't have much time. What info do you absolutely need to get started? Written for Farm Futures and initially published in their March/April 2024 issue. Planning a transition plan over several years is not always possible. Sometimes a sudden event moves the transition planning from "someday" to an urgent "right now." How do you begin? Transition planning, even under the best of circumstances, is not easy. Throw in a sudden death or other family event, and the process is even more dire. Successful transition plans all have one thing in common. The family follows a process. While no...
Succession Planning
Where Perks Create Conflict
What to watch for so perks don't create unintended issues down the road. Written for MILK and originally published in the Feb 2024 Quarterly issue. The issue at hand, at least on the surface, was the fish house being built in the farm shop. For those in warmer climates, let me explain. Here in the upper Midwest, we can fish all year long. In the winter, it gets cold enough, and the ice thick enough to drive pickups on the ice and pull out fish houses. These look like small 8x12 ft. (some are longer than 18 feet!) enclosed trailers....
Business Growth Strategy, Succession Planning, Uncategorized
Keep the Peace: Farm business vs. farm life
As farms become larger, many families conclude that perks must be limited and keep business more separate from personal life. Written for Farm Futures and published in the February 2024 issue. Most families get along great and, on most days, enjoy working together. This can lead the family to believe they are in alignment on essential issues. But, often, there is enough differences between some fundamental principles that someday will cause friction. Alignment around these principles falls under an underused area of transition planning called family governance. They are critical in keeping the peace and creating a strong family farm. ...