Succession Planning
A new country song is hitting home for farm families, showing what it’s like to keep a farm in the family through four generations.
The Neumillers, an Illinois potato farm family, share a 70-year legacy of farming, family and passing the torch to the next generation.
Surrounded by Delta farmland, Wilson, Ark., surprises visitors year-round with its English Tudor-style architecture, high-end boutique hotel and unique charm. But at Christmas, the town lights up.
Sustainability isn’t just about the environment. It also means preparing for retirement and sustaining a way of life.
When Jennifer Thomson lost nearly all 300 tons of her 2024 grape crop due to no buyers, she refused to quit. Her grit led her to sparkling winemaker Paula Kornell, forging a dynamic partnership saving a family legacy.
Corn may be a commodity, but cloth sacks from the 1930s and ’40s are anything but ordinary. They’re bright, bold snapshots of farm life. And through collectors like Ron Kelsey, they continue to tell those stories today.
California grape grower Jennifer Thomson saw nearly every grape go unsold in 2024. But through grit and determination, she fought back — and this year, she found a home for her entire crop, defying odds and carrying her family’s legacy.
Ancient Greek philosophers viewed resources as abundant, not scarce, so economic action was judged not by the accumulation of wealth but by whether it enabled and served a praiseworthy end.
While 69% of farmers expect to transfer their operation to the next generation of family members, too many are misplacing their time and efforts, according to The Williams Group. The company offers 5 recommendations that can help farmers and other business owners course correct.
We caught up with past Top Producer award winners as they reflect on the past and share what they wish they had known when they were just starting out in agriculture.
Nelson & Sons Farm in Louisiana, alongside the National Black Growers Council, is cultivating the next generation of black row crop farmers through in-field experience and customized youth programming.
Here are four pieces of gray-haired wisdom from the auction price guy.
Freshly graduated from Western Illinois University, Paige Pence is getting an entirely new learning experience this summer as she gets her feet wet farming the 4,500 acres originally pieced together by her first-generation farmer parents.
Caleb Ragland is hopeful his boys will have the opportunity to be the 10th generation to carry on the family’s farming roots, but he’s concerned the fallout from trade disruptions, high input costs and low commodity prices could deliver a death blow to that dream.
If the next generation isn’t coming back, it’s not the end. But it is time for a new plan.
Strong succession is driven by leaders who are willing to plan boldly, act decisively and invest in their next generation. Your family and your operation are counting on you.
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Brittany Hukill wasn’t planning to take over the family farm so soon. But that became her reality after losing her father when she was a teenager and then her grandpa when she was in college.
How do you know when it’s time to start transitioning your operation to the next generation? Rena Striegel, president of Transition Point Business Partners, says to aim for a decade.
What’s the long-term difference between starting a retirement plan at age 20 versus 40? Farm CPA Paul Neiffer crunches the numbers.
Doug Stark, retired CEO of Farm Credit Services of America, joins the Ag Inspo podcast to share what he believes the next generation of producers need for building their own operations.
Chase Larson is the CEO of Bestifor Farms, which is just one of six companies under the Bestifor family of brands. Based in Belleville, Kansas, the company employees 40 people, 30 of which are full time.
In 1984, Farm Journal’s personal ads connected Pat, a farm girl from Iowa, with Doug, a dairyman from New York, sparking a love story that led to marriage and the fourth generation of Fuller Acres Farm.
With leadership roles on an international stage, Pam Johnson kept her roots close and brought back enriched experiences and new ideas to her Iowa farm.
With a strong agricultural background, Dean Williams is committed to transforming ag retail through innovation and customer-focused leadership at FBN.
There are challenges that come with the process, but also hidden opportunities that can help the rising generation build for the future.
Rebecca Sip shares about the challenges she’s faced navigating a gradual generational transition of their family farm, the importance of continual learning and the role of humility each and every day.
You can’t save your way to prosperity — you need product, and you need to capture the best price.