Succession Planning

From cyberattacks to succession, top producers share how they turned high-stakes crises into strategic growth. Discover how balancing data with values and peer relationships can transform agricultural risk.

Some ag lenders are helping young producers and beginning farmers develop stronger financial skills so they can make more informed business decisions on the farm and reduce risk.

No one wants their family business to look like the Dutton family’s in Yellowstone. Todd Wiley’s innovative succession planning instrument is designed to avoid unnecessary drama and position his four children for success in the family pork operation.

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.

People often think they can figure out their estate plan later – when they are older, richer, sicker, free from debt and the list goes on. Expert Polly Dobbs says you should have a plan in place that fits today’s circumstances.

Taxes shouldn’t drive a farm’s succession and estate plan, says Polly Dobbs, an estate planning and wealth transfer specialist. She shares what farmers need to know about changes made in the One Big Beautiful Bill.

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.

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.

Transitions of any kind are hard — but farmland might be one of the toughest, says Steve Bohr of Farm Financial Strategies.