BFRDP Projects

Roads to Successful Farm Succession
[Progress Report]

Award Amount: $641,955
Grant Program: 2015 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Awards
Project Director: John Lawrence
Email: jdlaw@iastate.edu
Organization: Iowa State Univeristy

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  • Overview
  • Results
  • Materials
  • Delivery Area
  • Comments

Project Overview

Project Background:
There are several roads or paths available leading to successful farm successions and bringing young and beginning farmers into the farming community.  There are, however, challenges to beginning farming and to the succession process. We have taken a multi-program approach to broaden and improve these roads for young farmers.
Program Activities
1. Start to Farm learning groups for beginning and early-career farmers. Groups are organized by local geography or by subject matter.. Groups meet four to six time each year for beginning and early-career farmers to received focused curricula and for farmers to network.  Eighteen groups have formed with varying emphases on farm management, grazing ruminants, dairy, high tunnel production, apple production, general commercial horticulture, beef production, and swine production.
2. From the Ground Up: Creating a Plan to Grow Your Farm Business is an eight –part curriculum to aid farmers in creating farm business plans for the coming three to five years.
3. Farm Successor Coordinator Training is a 2 ½ day workshop to train ISU Extension personnel and other professionals, to serve as coordinators/facilitators for farm succession planning.
4. Farm Transitions: Preserving Your Legacy Newsletter is a quarterly e newsletter for established farmers seeking a younger farm successor and estate planning information.
5. Case Studies of successful family and non-family farm transitions will serve as learning tools for these programs.

In year two:
1. Start to Farm learning groups will continue to meet. At least two additional groups will be initiated.
2. From the Ground Up: Creating a Plant to Grow Your Farm Business short course will be offered twice.
3. Farm Successor Coordinator Trainings will be conducted twice.
4. Farm Transitions: Preserving Your Legacy Newsletter continues.
5. Returning to the Farm Seminars will be conducted twice. 
6. Three new Farm Succession Case Studies will be developed.

Number of Participants: 732

Results

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Delivery Area

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Individual Stories / Examples of Success