Land as Your Legacy Program

On the evening of Feb. 7, the Adams, Brown, Clermont, and Highland County Farm Bureaus, in collaboration with Anna Hall Stroud from Paul Hall & Associates, hosted the Land As Your Legacy program. Tailored exclusively for Farm Bureau members, this event aimed to impart essential insights into transition planning for farmers, recognizing the importance of strategic foresight in preserving agricultural legacies.

At the core of the Land As Your Legacy program is the emphasis on collaborative efforts with financial, legal, and tax professionals. This collaborative approach is designed to draft personalized transition plans for farms, ensuring the seamless transfer of both business and familial responsibilities. What sets this program apart is its commitment to providing these essential services at no cost.

Anna Hall Stroud provided crucial insights into the Land As Your Legacy program,  emphasizing the structured approach of transition planning, outlining key steps including setting objectives and goals, data and fact gathering, analysis, exploring options and solutions, implementation, and periodic reviews.

Anna Hall Stroud

“Fair is not equal, equal is not fair,” she said, underscoring the complexity of fairness in transition planning, as well as the importance of teamwork. Common mistakes, such as neglecting the planning process, lack of communication, and failure to address lease agreements or buy/sell relationships, were also shared during the presentation. 

Drawing from her own challenges and successes in navigating the complexities of a recent business transition, Anna passionately underscored the significance of proactive planning in safeguarding both the financial viability and sentimental value of a family farm or business. Her candid approach made the information more relatable and resonated with those in attendance. Her journey over the past year has equipped her with a keen understanding of the emotional and logistical hurdles that farmers may encounter during the transition process. It is our hope attendees walked away motivated to proactively engage in planning for the future of their farm.

With 40 Farm Bureau members in attendance, the event’s success reflects the profound interest within the farming community. The need for such programs becomes even more apparent when considering USDA statistics, revealing over 2 million family farms across the US, with an average farmer age of 57.5 years old. Alarmingly, only one-third of these family farms have a transition plan in place, highlighting the urgency for initiatives like Land As Your Legacy to ensure the sustainability of agricultural legacies for generations to come.

 

New and beginning farmers
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
Greg McGlinch's avatar
Greg McGlinch

Darke County Farm Bureau

Growing Tomorrow Grant
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
Nathan and Jill Parriman's avatar
Nathan and Jill Parriman

Clermont County Farm Bureau

Bringing the farm back to life
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
Gretchan Francis's avatar
Gretchan Francis

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Youth pathways in Farm Bureau
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
Wyatt Morrow's avatar
Wyatt Morrow

Clinton County Farm Bureau

Giving farmers a voice
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Matt Aultman's avatar
Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Select Partner Program
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
Chad Ruhl's avatar
Chad Ruhl

Farm manager, CSI Insurance

Advocacy
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
Mary Smallsreed's avatar
Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

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