Leaving a Lasting Legacy for Midwestern Farm Women

Multiple Day Event – Please Read:

This four-part farm succession planning workshop series is produced through a partnership by extension professionals at Kansas State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Purdue University.  Each session will be held at in-person sites across Kansas, Nebraska, and Indiana.  The program will feature a livestreamed keynote presentation and local hands-on activity to motivate participants to create farm succession plans and facilitate family and business conversations around this vital topic.  Sixty-three in-person sites are available across these three states, as well as a fully online version of the program.

Program Description

According to US Census data, 70% of U.S. farmland will transfer to the next generation in the next 20 years. The impact of farms transitioning, either successfully to the next generation or unsuccessfully in the form of a land and estate sale, has implications for rural communities and rural prosperity. As farms become fewer and larger, population decline has hurt many rural areas, affecting the economic viability of more than just those directly on farms.

This hands-on evening workshop series will provide educational presentations and resources to motivate participants to start the farm transition planning process or review their current transition plan. Communication, financial, and legal aspects will all be covered.  The goal is for participants to acquire knowledge they can apply directly to their own farm/ranch situation.

Participants must register for the entire 4-part series, as sessions will build upon each other.

This program is just one example of K-State Research and Extension’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.  While the program is designed to highlight women’s issues in agriculture, it is open to any participant without regard to sex.

For more information, contact Robin Reid, K-State Agricultural Economics at 785-532-0964 or robinreid@ksu.edu(link is external).

Program Schedule

**Note that times listed are in Central Time Zone.  For the Syracuse & Goodland locations, all session will start at 4:30 pm Mountain Time***

January 21st, 2025:
5:00 pm Registration & Dinner
5:30 pm Motivation for Succession Planning – A Personal Story
7:00 pm Local Activity/Discussion
8:00 pm End

January 28th, 2025:
5:00 pm Dinner
5:30 pm Family Communication around Estate and Transition Planning – Ashlee Westerhold and LaVell Winsor, K-State Ag Economics
7:00 pm Local Activity/Discussion
8:00 pm End

February 4th, 2025:
5:00 pm Dinner
5:30 pm Financial Aspects of Estate and Transition Plans – Jessica Groskopf, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension
7:00 pm Local Activity/Discussion
8:00 pm End

February 11th, 2025:
5:00 pm Dinner
5:30 pm Legal Aspects of Putting Your Plan into Place – Holly Dobbs, Esq., Dobbs & Folz, LLC
7:00 pm Local Activity/Discussion
8:00 pm End

Registration Information

The registration fee for in-person attendance is $60.00 before Jan. 12th, 2025, which includes all four nights meals and educational materials.   The fee increases to $75.00 after Jan. 12th, 2025, and a workbook is not guaranteed.  For in-person registration, the fee will be collected at the local site the first night of the program. In-person participation is HIGHLY encouraged, if at all possible.

A fully online option is available for $75.00 for family members that may live out of state or people that cannot participate in an in-person site.