Videos


  • Treating children fairly isn't always fair

    There comes a time when a spouse who’s been working off the farm asks the question — How many farms can this family support? The answer may not be easy.

  • Making a succession plan

    Recent studies have shown that only about half the farmers who plan to retire in the next few years have a succession plan. Elaine reviews some of the excuses, and how to get beyond them.

  • Ten barriers to succession planning

    If we think there's no deadline, we tend to put it off, but if you want the children to take over, the deadline may be looming sooner than you think.

  • Dealing with death

    It's inevitable, but too often we fail to plan for it. In this segment, Elaine suggests steps to leave a lasting legacy, and to ease the burden for the farm and the family when a farmer passes away.

  • Does your family know what to do when you die?

    It's inevitable — all of us will pass on sometime. Elaine recommends compiling a binder containing everything from financial information to instructions for your funeral.

  • The farmhouse conflict

    One of the main sources of conflict in the multi-generational farm is the farmhouse. Elaine talks about how to make the transition if a new generation is moving in.

  • Freeloading

    The brother who stayed on the farm is getting free room and board. The sister who left fills up with gas when she comes home on the weekend. Elaine talks about ways to ensure perception and reality of equitable benefits from the family farm.

  • Giving up the farmhouse

    The farmhouse is both the heart of the family, and the heart of the farm. Passing it to the next generation can be a difficult process, but there are ways to do it which can work out well for everyone.

  • Is Grandma a bully?

    After her parents and/or her husband have passed away, Grandma often ends up owning the farm. If it seems as if she’s taking too much control, it may be because of poor treatment in the past or concern about her future.

  • Farmers don’t have to retire

    Changing the management or ownership of a farm need not be viewed as “the first nail in the coffin.” Elaine talks about how to make the transition to something different and enjoyable.

  • Gifts don’t have strings attached

    “Here you go, but you can only do this with it.” If there are conditions attached to a gift of money, it’s not a gift, but manipulation. Lending, however, is a different matter.

  • The challenges of gifting money

    When times are good, older farmers want to share the wealth with their children. That’s a fine idea, but if there are strings attached, there can be pitfalls.

  • Difficult discussions

    Mom and Dad may always say they want the kids to take over, but there comes a time when they actually have to start letting go. Elaine suggests ways to start that difficult discussion.

  • Decision making and emotions

    The red one or the green one? The business side of farming requires a cost-benefit, but farmers need to admit that emotions are also a factor, and now how to manage them.

  • The importance of wills

    Many of today’s farms are large, sound and well- managed businesses, but surprisingly many lack proper arrangements in the event of a death of a shareholder. Elaine discusses the importance of both wills and powers of attorney.

  • Where is the Stash of Cash?

    “We’ll feed the farm first.” The farm is important, but sometimes it turns into the monster that eats all the cash. Elaine Froese talks about how farmers are important too.

  • Getting Away

    Studies show that rest and getting away from the business can help productivity. That should include the farming business.

  • Stinking Thinking

    Making assumptions about other members of the extended farm family can lead to problems. Elaine talks about how to open helpful dialogue.

  • Stubborn Farmers

    How to get around the “my way or the highway” attitude that leads to family conflicts and delays the planning needed for the farm’s future.

  • Auditing the farm family

    An audit isn't necessarily something to fear. Farm family coach Elaine Froese has developed a tool for each family member to define what they want from their farming operation.

  • Valuing the farming child

    Not every child wants to stay at home to operate the farm. Some move away to new locations and new careers. How do you fairly allocate the value for each child in a succession plan?

  • The monster that is the farm

    “We’ll feed the farm first.” The farm is important, but sometimes it turns into the monster that eats all the cash. Elaine Froese talks about how farmers are important too.

  • The daughter-in-law barrier

    It’s been called the “land mine issue.” Introducing that new person to both the family and the business does not always go smoothly.