I talked to a farmer from Alberta a while back who has several children but none wants to take over the farm. He is in his early 70s and doesn’t want to keep farming, but can’t face the idea of the farm not having his family’s name on it, especially because it will become a centennial farm this year.
Another fellow, on a centennial farm in Manitoba, has serious health problems, but wants to keep the farm in the family name, even though he has no children, and no other extended family interested in the place.
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He is so uptight about it he won’t even put his wife’s name on most of the land for fear she will sell it after he’s gone.
I understand where these men are coming from. Heck, our farm has only been in my family for 60 years, but I’m in the same situation. None of my kids wants it and I get a little emotional about the idea of it leaving the family someday.
There is pride in having a piece of land in a family for a long time, but pride can cause a lot of problems. I consulted with a big ranch a few years ago that had been in the same family for four generations. The trouble was, the original owner thought the ranch was so important that he forced his son to give up an interesting career in the city to come home and run it when the old man couldn’t keep up any more. That son then did the same thing to his son. And both resented having to leave careers they loved.
So what is a piece of land for? To support a family or thwart its member’s dreams?
Some parents, when no kids want to take over, decide to leave the farm to their children in their will. I think that is a poor choice. You already know the kids don’t want to farm, so why would you saddle them with an asset they will have to make joint decisions on year after year? It’s a given that the time will come when there is disagreement about how to manage it, who to rent it to or even whether to sell it. It’s a lot easier to divide cash than land.
Another approach is to create an incorporated business where the kids could eventually sell their inherited shares if they wanted, but that is a whole different story you need to talk about with an accountant and lawyer.
Why not sell the place as an intact farm to young people want to farm? You could even help them afford it by setting up special conditions such as crop sharing or sweat equity. As well, you would have the pleasure of mentoring people who are excited about farming.
In the United States there are organizations such as California FarmLink and Washington FarmLink to match folks who want to sell with young people who want to buy. I don’t know of any in Canada but there is no reason somebody couldn’t start one.
Maybe you and the young folks could come up with a name for the farm you both like, and in that way carry on your family’s legacy.
In Australia, farms keep their names no matter who owns them. My friend Brian had a farm in New South Wales named Coburn. He sold it and is now on one called Tara. When he sold the first farm, he didn’t have to worry about his family’s name no longer being on it.
Part of the life journey is learning not to cling to things. As my dad says, there are no pockets in that wooden overcoat, so don’t try to rule from the grave.
Your kids have a right to their own lives. If they don’t share your dream of the family’s name being on the farm forever, let them off the hook.
You think it would be hard to let go of your farm? Years ago I read an article in National Geographic about a farm in Germany that had been in the same family for 2,000 years. (Yes, I said 2,000.) Imagine the load on the shoulders of a man who had no kids interested in taking over that farm. Or the guilt of kids who didn’t want it.
Edmonton-based Noel McNaughton speaks at conventions and for corporations on Farming/Ranching at Midlife Ñ Strategies for a Successful Second Age. He can be reached at 780-432-5492, e-mail noel@midlife-men.com or visit www.midlife-men.com.
