Will Your Farm Be Your Legacy? Succession Planning Starts With a Conversation

If you’re part of a farm family, you know the question eventually comes up: What happens to the farm when it’s time to step back?
The answer, and how it’s handled, can shape not only the future of the operation, but also family relationships for generations.

Cheryl B. Mitchell, speaker, consultant, and author of Farm Legacy or Loss: The Decision Is Yours, has seen firsthand what happens when succession planning is avoided or rushed. Raised on a second-generation dairy farm, Mitchell watched her own family relationships unravel when disagreements arose over who would take over the farm.

“When people don’t feel heard or included, the damage can last a lifetime,” Mitchell says.

That experience led her to help other farm families avoid the same outcome.

Estate Planning Isn’t Just Paperwork

Mitchell began hosting panel discussions with lawyers, accountants, bankers, and insurance agents—giving farm families a place to ask real questions about succession. What she discovered was a common problem: most families never talk openly about it.

“There are two sides to estate planning,” Mitchell explains.

• Transactional – wills, trusts, bank accounts, and legal documents
• Relational – the conversations that make those decisions workable

The relational side is often ignored; but it’s the difference between a smooth transition and long-term resentment.

Why Communication Matters

Mitchell starts by talking with the farm owners themselves.

• Why is keeping the farm in the family important?
• What does the land represent to them?
• What do they want their legacy to be?

“These aren’t just business assets,” she says. “They’re emotional. The land carries history.”

She then meets individually with the next generation, asking who wants to farm, who doesn’t, and what each person hopes will happen.

Too often, parents make decisions quietly, and children learn about them only after the fact. That’s when misunderstandings, and hurt feelings, take root.

One Farm, Different Roles

In many families, only one or two children are actively farming. That creates a challenge:
How do you make the transition financially workable and fair?

Mitchell helps families work through those realities honestly.

“I’ve lived it myself,” she shares. When her father passed, the farm went to her brother, who was actively dairying. “On paper it looked like he received more—but he also took on all the risk.”

Understanding that balance can go a long way toward preserving family harmony.

Bringing the Team Together

Once a direction is clear, Mitchell brings everyone to the table—lawyers, accountants, bankers, and advisors—at the same time.

This collaborative approach:

• Saves time
• Reduces costs
• Keeps everyone aligned

And when the plan is ready, she helps present it clearly to the entire family.

Your Next Step

Succession planning isn’t about giving up control, it’s about protecting what you’ve built.

If you want your farm to be a legacy, not a source of conflict, the conversation needs to start now.

Learn more:
Farm Legacy or Loss: The Decision Is Yours by Cheryl B. Mitchell, available on Amazon. Visit: cherylbmitchell.com

Watch for a short video from Cheryl on CNB’s YouTube channel coming soon.