Kevin Spafford was born and raised in rural Northern California, yet he ‘grew up’ milking cows on his uncle’s dairy in Wisconsin. Over the course of those formative summers he fell in love with farming and, as a result, went on to earn a degree in Agricultural Management from California Polytechnic State University.
Having spent more than 20 years building expertise in financial services, Spafford wanted to find a way to further serve the agricultural community. In 2005 he founded Legacy by Design, a succession planning services firm dedicated exclusively to serving farmers and agribusiness owners from coast to coast.
As the author of Legacy By Design: Succession Planning for Agribusiness Owners, Kevin Spafford literally wrote the book on this complex subject, and he is proud to serve as Farm Journal’s succession planning expert for the Farm Journal Legacy Project – a long-term initiative to cultivate multigenerational success in the agricultural community.
On a personal note: Kevin and Anne-Marie, his wife of nearly 30 years, met in college and have two children – Drew and Sara. Both kids are now college students themselves, while Anne-Marie teaches reading to elementary school children. Kevin is a private pilot, and loves camping with his family and hunting with his son. Fueled by caffeine, he manages to find time for everything. The Spaffords live in Durham, California – a small farming community known for its excellent soil, abundant water, almonds and walnuts.
