"Project Succession" part two built on the foundation laid by “Project Succession” 2012, RME-M8904533.
Five workshops provided 127 Pennsylvania participants with technical information on financial feasibility, estate planning and necessary documents, business entities, division of responsibilities and farm management tools.
Facilitators followed up with 101 family members answering questions, reviewed farm financial information, facilitated farm family meetings, fulfilled resource requests, encouraged family members throughout the comprehensive succession work. Families were assisted with requests and directed to appropriate legal and financial and/or appraisal professionals.
76 farm owners and their successors made fact based business decisions after reviewing financial feasibility of a farm transition and progressed through succession planning stages. Nine farm owners who did not have successors identified were provided potential matches through the PA Farm Link database.
Farm owners and successors considered division of labor and management and the time frame to transfer labor and management. Steps that followed posed more challenges for farm families. Fewer developed a management transition plan than originally estimated and follow up exposed a large need for opportunities to gain business management skills on the part of the successors. Publicly available ag business management courses were reviewed and unmet needs noted.