Iowa Farm Bureau program guides families through generational transition

The Iowa Farm Bureau’s Take Root Program focuses on transitioning the family farm from one generation to the next, providing help and resources for those farms in transition.

“Take Root is more than just estate and transition planning,” Amanda Van Steenwyk, farm business development manager at the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, said. “Take Root provides strategies and resources that will improve family communication, assist in navigating through the emotional obstacles, and identify the business and estate planning tools that correspond with transferring the family business to the next generation.”

Take Root workshops started in 2013 and have already had more than 2,500 participants throughout Iowa. In January 2016, Take Root will enhance its program to include more in-depth planning for family farmers, including featuring a pair of three-hour workshops for attendees to receive resources for developing a managed, comprehensive approach to family farm succession.

The first workshop will focus on the family conversation about transitioning the farm and the emotional toll it can take. In the second workshop, families and farm business experts will come together to discuss estate, tax and financial planning, leases and tenant qualities, and beginning farmer opportunities.

Take Root workshops will be held in Mount Pleasant on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2; in Decorah on Feb. 11 and 25; and in Algona on Feb. 17 and March 9.