These folks were raising their hands to get the  “Seven Keys to Farm Succession Planning”.  All you have to do is click the link above the photo of Granddaddy’s farm above now!

We wrote “Passing Down the Farm, the OTHER Farm Crisis”, in 1986 – based on my experiences helping farm families plan for the future of their farm business during and beyond their lifetimes.

We added the word “OTHER” in the title because we were going through a farm crisis at the time, high farm land values against low commodity prices, higher than reasonable taxes and interest rates – or something like that, who can remember over twenty years ago?

Our concern was that the majority of farmers who did survive the current crisis would take their eye off the ball and not consider the terminal crisis that would befall them in the future – by not preparing for the transition of their farm to the next generation.

We knew that the passing down the farm crisis was bound to hit them, simply a result of the passage of time.

Now over two decades and many other crisis later – for those of you who are still somehow getting by on the farm, the passing down the farm crisis is much closer.

When I decided it was time to create a version for the new millennium, we first had to ask and answer three important questions.

What’s changed?

The mere fact that you are here now is one of the most important changes. Planning for succession information and strategies are available to everyone and the people who do that planning can now be found, whether they are nearby or across the country.

The Internet and all that it means allows the most isolated among us to instantly connect with knowledge and information. It is the death of time and distance.

Technology, along with its ever decreasing cost, has elevated do-it-yourself succession and planning to where it always belonged, on top. Among other things it is now easier than ever to access self-help tools for managing all of your personal relationships,
communicate with your geographically dispersed family, and connect with other powerful allies who can to help you sort it all out.

What’s remained the same?

Human nature. You are still fighting the fight, working to beat the odds in order to survive – to leave a legacy to some and an opportunity to build upon what you and those who came before you created. And unless you are different that most, it isn’t getting any easier.

There are just as many, if not more, external forces you can’t control. When things are going good you have more friends, relatives and supporters than you thought possible. But when things are rough, locating them is as hard or harder than ever. And there is no shortage of advice, whether you need it or not.

Recently I ran across a cassette tape of a radio talk show interview from 1990. I was interviewed by the Jim Shoemaker host of MidSouth ViewPoint. After I found someone to convert the cassette to digital so I could listen to it on my iPod and upload it to our web site. Once I started listening I was amazed how little the important stuff has changed.

Armed with the experiences working with farm families for over a quarter of a century and what I had learned about delivering products and services extremely cost effectively over the Internet, I knew the way forward for me and for farmers committed to passing down their farm – doing what’s required to create a farm succession and farm estate plan in the 21st century.

Wayne Messick

Recommended Reading

• Family Farm Succession Planning
• Who in The World Requires a Farm Succession Planning Consultant?
• Are You Someone Who Thinks They Need a Farm Succession Planning Expert and Precisely Why or Why Not?
• Are You Someone Who Requires a Farm Succession Planning Specialist?
• Farm Succession and Strategic Planning Group

Technorati Tags: Farm succession planning, mid south radio, Passing Down the Farm