; Farm Succession Focus Groups Offer Insight to Barriers and Educational Needs | Conferences | AgRisk Library

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Conference Name Farm Succession Focus Groups Offer Insight to Barriers and Educational Needs

Joy Kirkpatrick, Sarah Mills-Lloyd, and Heather Schlesser

Summary

Four focus group discussions were held with Wisconsin farmers in the fall of 2017. The goals of the discussions groups were to define farm succession; identify barriers to planning; identify educational needs and identify farmers' preferences for farm succession planning programming. Twenty-eight farmers from 11 counties participated.  The groups were organized so there was representation from across Wisconsin. The discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed with qualitative data analysis software. This presentation will provide the results of the focus groups and offer program directions based on the results. Preliminary results indicate issues with finding professionals with knowledge and understanding of agriculture; fear of change and loss of control; and communication barriers. The participants also showed preference for shorter meetings, companion webinars and podcasts, and facilitated planning to keep them on track.

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