The Certified Farm Succession Coordinator Training originally set as an in-person training has switched to a virtual format Aug. 29-30 and Sept. 13.

The training provides the opportunity for individuals to become a certified farm succession coordinator. It is hosted by the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Dairy Profitability, in collaboration with the International Farm Transition Network (IFTN) and North Dakota State University Extension.

The virtual training will take place from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Participants must attend all three days to be eligible for certification. Registration is required by Aug. 18.

Attorneys, accountants, lenders, Extension educators, financial advisors, farm/ranch mediators and any individuals who want to specialize in farm succession planning are welcome to participate. This training is approved for 14.75 ND CLE credits plus 2.0 ND Ethics credit for a total of 16.75 ND CLE credits through the North Dakota Commission for Continuing Legal Education.

“The economic future of our nation’s agriculture depends on the next generation’s ability to access land and business assets,” says Carrie Johnson, NDSU Extension assistant director for family and community wellness. “Many farm and ranch operators are realizing the importance of creating a succession plan. Agriculture service professionals who work with these farms and ranches are recognizing that it takes more than a business structure or an estate plan to get those assets transferred to the next generation of managers. Succession planning also includes management transfer, inheritance issues and (surprise!) humans with emotions.”

This training will offer:

• Insight on the barriers to farm succession.
• Strategies on working with families as they navigate farm succession.
• Facilitation tools to guide the process.
• Opportunities to consider real-life examples of farm succession case studies.

Instructors for this training are Kiley Fleming, executive director of the Iowa Mediation Service, and Joy Kirkpatrick, a farm succession specialist with the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Dairy Profitability. Fleming and Kirkpatrick have been instructors for this training since its inception in 2012. They offer over 35 years of combined succession planning experience to the training.

Registration fees are $950 per person. A discount of $50 per person is available for organizations registering three or more individuals in the same purchase. The fee includes a 2022-2023 International Farm Transition Network membership. For more information or to register, visit ndsu.ag/farm-succession.

For more information, contact Kirkpatrick at joy.kirkpatrick@wisc.edu or 608-263-3485.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Aug. 4, 2022

Source: Carrie Johnson, 701-231-8593, carrie.johnson.1@ndsu.edu

Editor: Elizabeth Cronin, 701-231-5391, elizabeth.cronin@ndsu.edu