Grounded in faith and family while investing in the future, Aletta Holsteins followed an articulate succession plan. The family now operates two dairies and has expanded to poultry and hogs as well.

It is time to stop guessing what everyone thinks, feels, wants and needs. Explore what stories your grandparents, parents and siblings are telling themselves about the future and transition of wealth on your farm. Ask Grandpa or Mom, “I’m just curious, what is the story you are telling yourself? Is this a scarcity mindset issue? How much is enough? Would you ask for the help of a financial planner to give you more financial security and certainty for your income streams as you age in place on this farm?”

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.

Do you have a clear picture of who you are and how you lead on your farm and in your family?

You never hear someone say they love farming because they love sitting in a meeting room talking about business. They will probably say they’d rather be doing anything else – with animals, crops, machinery, you name it – than sitting in meetings.

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.

If the story you tell yourself suggests it’s nobody’s business how you spend your money, ask yourself how you got there and why it has to be like that. I hope you would agree with me that the emotional factors around money affect the farm transition process.

The Signers manage a milking herd of about 60 cows, maxing out the space available to them in the farm’s previous tiestall facility. Thus, they set out to create a new facility that would not only incorporate newer technology into their routine, like a robotic milking system, but more importantly, would provide a greater level of comfort to the cows.

Feeling good about yourself can help the family farm succeed by making you better at making decisions, dealing with problems, negotiating and leading.