When people want some influence and agency to try something new, and are faced with “This is the way the grandparents always did it,” enthusiasm and creativity can be dampened.
Tag Archives farm transitions
Consider new ideas on the farm with a learner mindset
Farm Family Coach: It’s still wise, though, to seek mentors’ wisdom rather than have to relive past mistakes
New Farm Credit Canada loan option aims to ease farm ownership transfers
FCC hopes their new enhanced transition loan will make farm succession easier for both farm buyer and seller
Farm Credit Canada's enhanced transition loan meant to offer better financial terms, flexibility for farm and agribusiness assets changing hands.
Grandma, stop hurting your family’s farm transition
Seeds of Encouragement: Hard commitment to a late spouse’s wishes may not align with what’s now happening in the business
The situation: A mom is not willing to consider that her dead husband’s wishes — which she wants to honour – may not be the best direction for the farm or the family in the current situation of 2025.
Get great transition plans in place now and make my heart sing
Seeds of Encouragement: When you let go of things, you need something to move toward
Thirty years ago this week I published my first column with Grainews. It has been an honour to hear stories from readers on the steps they have taken to better their lives.
Parents retiring, leaving farm to two sons
Farm Financial Planner: A sale of personal assets to a farm corporation is subject to a now-increased capital gains exemption
A couple we’ll call Jared, 68, and Leanne, 66, from eastern Manitoba, have built a successful grain farming operation. They have three sons: Josh, 40; Craig, 38; and Shawn, 36. Jared and Leanne want to work toward retirement. The plan is to have Josh and Craig take over. Josh and Craig have both been farming […] Read more
How to talk about ‘fair family price’ for land, other assets
Seeds of Encouragement: A family farm transfer likely involves some gifting, given the market values for farmland
Elaine writes: “Fair family price” versus “fair market value price” (or FFP vs. FMV) is often a tense conversation between a farm’s founders, needing to sell assets for their personal income stream, and a buyer, often the cash-strapped successor on the farm. To offer readers some wisdom on this conversation I asked our coaching teammate […] Read more
Watch your words
Seeds of Encouragement: Self-defeating language can kill transition conversations and affect your mental health
Recently in one of our amazing membership coaching calls a farmer sighed loudly about his transition frustration and said, “It is what it is.” This sparked a lively conversation about how we handle our mental well-being, which is often bathed in waves of frustration as we try to navigate the needs and wants of founders […] Read more
Tips to navigate transition storms
The cash flow needed to acquire land can fall outside of long-term profitability
Last month, in the U.S., we heard Steven Bohr of Next Generation Ag Advocates encourage young farmers with tools for transition. The average price per acre in Iowa, as of last Nov. 1, is estimated at US$11,835, and 34 per cent of the land has owners over 75 years of age. Sixty per cent of […] Read more
Is my kid a leader?
Mediocre leadership can strain family and employee relationships — and one's own health
It’s actually two questions. It isn’t just how much leadership potential have my kids got? It’s also, how much better will they get if I provide the right training and support? And the reason parents need to ask both questions is because science is learning an immense amount about what leadership potential looks like. “Leadership […] Read more
Do the kids really want to take the lead on the farm?
The next generation, and the parents, both have to be clear on how they can prove it
An intergenerational farm transition is never easy. There are tough conversations, there are disagreements, and, always, there is compromise. The kids who want to take over the farm worry about when, if ever, that’s going to happen. They want to know how they are going to get there and what their parents are going to […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
