We are seeing fewer and fewer young people returning the their family operations and just because you are blood doesn’t mean you have a right to the farm. Succession planning is one step many families forget about when it comes to the future. AgriLegacy is a growing Midwest company whose main focus is helping farm families keep the farms in the families and provide guidance in preserving a farm for heirs and minimizing potential estate taxes. I met with Wes Hentges, co-founder of AgriLegacy, during the Missouri State Fair to learn more about what they can offer farm families.

“We have a process we call Cultivating Future Generations. How do we bring them back to the farm? How do we make sure there is a place for them and that they have the right skill set to be on the farm? And that they aren’t just looking for a job, they are looking for a lifestyle and a career. We want to make sure they can add something to the farm that improves their quality of life and the farms at the same time.”

Wes says it’s about an opportunity and you have to take that opportunity and make something of it. Cultivating Future Generations has to be a process that people think through. It’s not about a person’s last name or sense of entitlement.

If you would like to learn more about preserving your family legacy, join the AgriLegacy team for their 8th annual farm succession event on January 19, 2016 in St. Joseph, MO. Register for the event and find a complete list of speakers here.

Listen to my complete interview with Wes to learn more about what AgriLegacy provides farmers and ranchers across the country when it comes to succession planning. Interview with Wes Hentges, AgriLegacy