If you or someone in your farm family is getting married soon or considering marriage in the future, having the prenuptial conversation can be helpful in providing peace of mind and legal protection if the marriage does not go as planned later down the road.

It’s county fair week, or at least it is at the time of me writing this (the first week of August) it is. When I was younger it was my favorite time of year. It was like Christmas morning. The one where you just can’t wait. You’re excited, jittery with anticipation.

I wasn’t really thrilled about it, but circumstances dictated that I make several trips and spend several days in the concrete and asphalt jungle of Salt Lake City this summer.

It’s probably never wise to overreact or panic, yet I find those responses are all too often my default mode. If I took a little time to think about it, I’m sure I could come up with several dozen examples through the years where my initial answer to some unexpected circumstance was some minor form of hysteria.

When the kids were little and we needed a babysitter to go on a date, it took effort. After we finally found a night that worked for someone to come, inevitably something happened. An irrigation ditch flooded. We got snowed in. The kids got sick. The dog got hurt. Usually, though, the cows got out.

Legacy is often thought of as a tradition passed down from one generation to the next. While tradition certainly plays a part, legacy goes beyond that. It’s about the mark you leave on the world, the values you uphold and the contributions you make.

Family business succession that builds family relationships and continues to perpetuate a successful business requires attention, time investment, deliberate planning and communication.

About one-third of all farm incidents involve children, and every three days a child in the U.S. dies in a farm-related incident. Prevent your child from becoming a statistic by being proactive about practicing safety on the farm.

I’m reminded every so often of a conversation I had with a friend of mine over 30 years ago. The memory is usually triggered by some random comment or event, but it’s one of those memories that seems to always linger near the surface of my thoughts.

“Sis, the horses are saddled. Get your boots on and meet me outside.” They are going to check the cows.