What you just read isn’t a made-up scenario. It’s an actual statement from a farm family.

Notes like this are far too frequent in the ag world. Which is why I do what I do.

Who’s emailing you?

I’m Clint - an estate & business planning attorney from South Dakota. I’m from a small (most would call it a hobby) farm and eat, breathe, sleep, and dream about preserving family owned farms, ranches, and businesses for the next generation.

As an owner, you’ve got a bunch of things at play:

• Tax issues

• Family dynamics

• Retirement income

• Fairness vs equality

• Ongoing management

• Avoiding family conflict

• Debt & cash flow issues

• Legal structures of your business & land

• Ensuring the next generation is ready to take over

With so many moving parts, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Procrastination is often the result — and a big part of that is simply not knowing where to start.

That’s what my emails are for: to help family farms and businesses keep the family the family, the farm the farm, and the business the business.

It might feel like herding cats, but with a proper plan I assure you all aspects can be accounted for.

Preserving Family Farms: A Legacy Worth Fighting For

Roll down a dusty road in rural North America, and you’ll see more than crops swaying in the breeze or cattle grazing under wide skies. You’ll see family farms and ranches—living proof of grit, tradition, and a way of life that’s shaped a region’s soul. These aren’t just plots of land or businesses. They’re the heartbeat of rural communities, the keepers of generational wisdom, and the guardians of the earth that tell stories of resilience. But they’re slipping away, and saving them demands more than sentiment—it requires action, planning, and a clear-eyed commitment to their future.

Why Family Farms Matter

Family farms and ranches are more than food producers. Sure, it’s fun to say “I’m feeding the world” but they’re also economic engines, cultural anchors, and schools of hard-won values. When they thrive, rural towns hum with life—local businesses stay open, schools stay funded, and communities stay tight-knit. When they fail, the ripple effects are brutal: jobs vanish, populations dwindle, and entire regions hollow out. The numbers paint a stark picture: rural counties with declining farm economies lose 1–2% of their population annually, while those with strong agricultural bases grow.

Beyond economics, farms preserve a heritage of self-reliance and stewardship. They teach lessons no classroom can—how to coax life from soil, weather uncertainty, and solve problems with hard work and determination. For families, the farm is their story, etched into every fencepost and barn beam. It’s not just land; it’s identity, pride, and a promise to the next generation. Losing that isn’t just a personal tragedy—it’s a national one.

The Threat: A Generational Cliff

The clock is ticking. U.S. farmers are aging—those over 65 outnumber those under 35 by five to one. Over the next 20 years, 70% of farmland will change hands, with 77% expected to stay in families. But here’s the catch: only 30% of second-generation farms survive, 12% reach the third, and just 3% make it to the fourth. Why? Because too many families treat succession like a distant problem, not an urgent one.

Only 56% of farms have any succession plan, and just 20–23% have formal, written ones. Smaller operations fare worse, with planning rates dropping below 15%. Yet 98% of farmers call succession “important.” The gap between knowing and doing is a chasm - a Great Divide - widened by procrastination, tough emotions, and the complexity of handing over a life’s work.

Why Planning Fails

Succession planning isn’t just paperwork—it’s confronting your own mortality, family dynamics, and hard choices. Here’s why it’s dodged so frequently:

• Emotional Landmines: Talking about who gets the farm stirs up conflict, fear of favoritism, or the pain of letting go. For many farmers, retiring feels like losing their purpose.

• Uncertain Successors: Sometimes no one wants to take over. Other times, too many do, and doubts about their readiness—skills, commitment, or vision—stall decisions.

• Financial and Legal Hurdles: Taxes, legal fees, and splitting assets can gut a farm’s viability. Without clear retirement income, many operators cling to control too long.

• Time and Complexity: Farming is relentless. Carving out time for planning feels like a luxury, and the process—gathering records, navigating laws, aligning family, meeting with advisors—seems daunting.

• Knowledge Gaps: Farmers with less formal education or no access to trusted advisors are less likely to plan. Rural areas often lack the resources urban businesses take for granted.

The result? Handshake deals, vague promises, or no plan at all—recipes for disputes, tax disasters, or forced sales. Ultimately the end of the family operation.

The Stakes

When succession fails, the fallout is brutal:

• Family Fractures: Unclear plans breed resentment, lawsuits, and rifts that last decades.

• Land Loss: Farms get carved up, sold to developers, or swallowed by corporate agribusiness. From 1992 to 2017, the U.S. lost 31 million acres of farmland—an area the size of New York State.

• Community Collapse: Rural towns lose their economic and cultural core. Schools close, businesses shutter, and young people leave for good.

• Legacy Erosion: A family’s history, values, and contributions vanish, leaving nothing for future generations to build on.

This isn’t abstract. It’s happening now, field by field, family by family.

The Solution

In my line of work, I’m lucky to get to work with loads of family farming operations. The farms that endure don’t rely on luck—they run like businesses and plan like strategists. Here’s what they do:

1. Treat the Farm Like a Business
   Farms with clear management, financial discipline, and documented processes aren’t just more profitable—they’re more transferable. They weather market swings, adapt to tech shifts, and attract successors by offering stability, not chaos. Farms with written leases and financial ratios are 60% more likely to have succession plans.

2. Start Early, Talk Openly
   Successful transitions begin years in advance, with candid family conversations. Address who wants to farm, who doesn’t, and what’s fair for off-farm heirs. Families that tackle conflict head-on are twice as likely to complete a plan.

3. Train Successors
   Identify and mentor the next generation early. Give them real responsibility—managing a crop, balancing books, or negotiating leases. Farms with trained successors are 80% more likely to survive the handoff.

4. Get Professional Help
   Lawyers, accountants, and ag advisors aren’t luxuries—they’re lifelines. They clarify tax strategies, draft airtight agreements, and keep emotions in check. Farms using advisors report 90% less stress in transitions.

5. Write It Down
   Formal plans—detailing ownership, roles, timelines, and contingencies—aren’t optional. They’re the difference between a legacy and a lawsuit. Farms with written plans are three times more resilient to economic shocks.

6. Stay Flexible
   Good plans evolve. Review them every few years to account for new marriages, market changes, or health issues. Flexible plans are 50% more likely to succeed.

Action trumps inaction

Family farms and ranches are North America’s backbone, but they’re not invincible. The data is clear: without formal succession plans, most won’t survive the next generation. The cost of inaction is staggering—broken families, lost land, and rural communities on life support. But the path forward isn’t a mystery. It starts with courage, clarity, and a commitment to treat your farm like the legacy it is.

Don’t let your story end with an auctioneer pulling into the driveway to sell your operation for parts. Start planning today. Have the hard talks. Build a business that lasts. Because a family farm isn’t just land—it’s a promise to the future, and it’s worth fighting for.

In upcoming posts, I’ll be sharing both sides of the fence—stories of families who planned ahead and transitioned smoothly (or are in the process), and others who didn’t and paid the price. About half my time is spent helping families after a loved one passes away. Sometimes that’s cleaning up the mess, and sometimes that’s dotting i’s and crossing t’s because the plan worked; the other half is spent helping families plan for that fateful day. My goal is to show you what I’ve seen work, what hasn’t, and how you can take steps—big or small—toward securing your legacy.

Because, LEGACY MATTERS.

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DISCLAIMER: What you just read is not legal advice. It is not an offer to represent you or perform legal services. Reading this doesn’t enter us into an attorney-client relationship. It’s just informational and hopefully a bit entertaining—take it as that and nothing more. When in doubt, talk to your own lawyer.