Cultivating Your Farm’s Future

Cultivating Your Farm’s Future

To help Wisconsin farm families/businesses start their succession planning process, UW-Madison Division of Extension’s Farm Management Program has developed an interactive program, Cultivating Your Farm’s Future. This program will provide tools and resources for producers who want to begin the succession planning process. The program will explore the three step process of  planning your business succession:

The cover of the Cultivating Your Farm’s Future workbook
  • Where are you now
  • Where do you want to be
  • How do you get there

Delivery of the program

The workshops will be delivered virtually, with a mix of both self-paced assignments and live, virtual group meetings via zoom. The self-paced assignments will include watching short videos, completing worksheets, and gathering necessary information. The live virtual group meetings will provide participants opportunities to discuss their homework and learn from not only the instructors but also from each other.

Who should attend?

This program is for farm businesses and farm families interested in shaping the future ownership of their farm.. If you are the owner generation you may be wondering how to transfer a viable business to the next generation or determining how to divide farm assets. If you are the next generation you may have questions or ideas about your future role in the farm business. Multi-generations of the farm or family are encouraged to attend together.

Topics Covered

  • Starting Your Succession Plan
  • Determining What YOU Want
  • Developing the Next Generation and Your Legacy
  • Holding Family Meetings and Conversations
  • Choosing and Working with Professionals
  • Thinking of what is fair versus what is equal

Workshop series dates/times for live, virtual group Zoom sessions

Farms have the opportunity to choose the series that works best for their farm’s and family’s schedule.

Series One

Tuesdays, January 24, 31 and February 7, 2023, noon – 1:30 pm

Registration deadline: January 17, 2023

Series Two

Thursdays, February 16, 23, and March 2, 2023, 6:00 – 7:30 pm

Registration deadline: February 7, 2023

Registration Fee: $100/per farm which provides one workbook, folder of materials, course videos and three live zoom sessions; $15/additional workbook.

Multiple farm/family members are encouraged to attend.

For more information and to register https://farms.extension.wisc.edu/programs/cultivating-your-farms-future/

 Even if you have attended other transition, estate, or succession planning classes, consider attending this program to get a START on YOUR succession plan.

For more information contact Kaitlyn Davis, La Crosse County Extension Agriculture Educator, kaitlyn.davis2@wisc.edu or Joy Kirkpatrick, UW-Madison Division of Extension Farm Succession Outreach Specialist, joy.kirkpatrick@wisc.edu

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