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Farm Succession Education in Wisconsin

Joy Kirkpatrick

Summary

Farm succession is a perennial topic for Extension education. Farm succession is a very individual issue. Each farm succession is uniquely timed, and sometimes uniquely triggered on a very personal and individual level. It is also an emotional and stressful topic to address. For these reasons, University of Wisconsin Extension offers a mixture of farm succession education programs. Examples of these programs include one-day workshops, individual consultations, three-day workshops and four-day retreat-like programs. Providing an array of programs allows Extension educators to reach farm families when and where they need assistance. One-day workshops provide an overview of succession topics and planning. In these one-day workshops communication and planning is stressed, financial viability is discussed as well as tax implications and business structures. These programs are structured to allow for a large audience and are well attended. Farm families who wish to begin working on their farm succession plans are encouraged to attend a more in-depth program. UW-Extension offers three-day and four day programs. These are designed for small groups and representatives from each generation are required to attend so the farming unit members can discuss their farm succession issues and begin their succession planning. These programs attract highly motivated participants because of the cost and time commitment required. Individual consultations are also used when appropriate. This presentation will provide an overview of the one-day, three-day and four-day programs; tools to use in individual consultations, a farm succession assessment tool and will highlight an UW-Extension website that provides farm succession resources.

Details

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