Three ways to advance farm transition planning

Three ways to advance farm transition planning

‘Canada’s farm whisperer’ recommends key discussion topics for farm families

Farm family coach, author and speaker Elaine Froese has a clear message for farmers who are not actively working on transition planning. “Stop procrastinating and avoiding conflict,” she says. “To create solutions, you have to talk about tough issues.” Froese recommends three key topics for discussion that will create clarity within the family and move […] Read more

Farm family coach Elaine Froese says identifying values is a crucial exercise for young farmers and she encourages them to think about how to explain these to the older generation.

Top transition tips for young farmers

How the next generation can help farm transition be successful

Transitioning management and ownership of a farm business from one generation to the next can present many challenges. While there are numerous resources to support farm founders in assessing their business and planning their transition into retirement, not many advise young farmers on how they should prepare. Elaine Froese, a farmer from southern Manitoba who […] Read more

Don’t assume that family members understand your wishes.

Introspective estate planning for your farm

Focus on the people involved in farm succession, not just assets

Estate planning means knowing where financial and material assets will go after you die, but according to veteran financial strategist Chris Delaney, forgetting to prepare people to receive those assets can actually destroy long-accumulated wealth. Not accounting for one’s fears, and failing to reconcile emotion with rational action, can make things even worse. Why it […] Read more

Karen Galbraith, left, and her husband Steve Dolson are in the process of transferring their farm ownership and management to 
Geoff and Sally McMullen, who they didn’t know before the transition process started.

Making non-family business transition work

These two families found a way to make a dairy farm transition succeed

Most farm transitions today happen through succession planning between families, but there are growing examples of how non-farmers are making it work with existing farmers and on their own. FarmSmart, held at the University of Guelph on Jan. 18, presented opportunities for young individuals who don’t come from a farm to be successful in running […] Read more

Farm business transition columnist and facilitator Elaine Froese addressed a recent meeting of the Huron-Perth and Oxford County chapters of Women for the Support of Agriculture.

Rules of transition, and when to break them

Well-known coach and columnist addresses Women for the Support of Agriculture

Farmer and farm transition counsellor Elaine Froese has a list of truisms she shares in regularly published columns and at meetings with farm organizations. The expression, “where is it written that…” is one of them, such as: “where is it written that a farm woman must have a garden?” Another is, “comparison is a joy-stealer.” […] Read more


Ontario’s Land Transfer Tax is a significant added expense for farmers looking to expand.

Succession can be taxing if some land ownership isn’t considered

Does your succession strategy account for Land Transfer Tax? If not the repercussions could be costly

When it comes to transferring land, handing the farm to the next generation can be expensive. Ontario’s Land Transfer Tax (LTT), more specifically, can take a significant bite out of a family’s farm succession finances if an exemption can’t be achieved. Consequently, it’s important for farmers to know when LTT applies — and how to […] Read more