The Conversations That Can Change Your Farm's Future with Peter Manness

Farm succession planning isn't just about deciding who gets the farm. It's about getting the family talking.

In this episode of The Impact Farming Show, Tracy sits down with Peter Manness, P.Ag., Farm Management Consultant with MNP, to talk about one of the most important, and often overlooked, parts of farm transition planning: communication.

Peter has more than 20 years of experience working with agricultural producers and helps farm families navigate business planning, financial planning and farm transition planning.

Together, Tracy and Peter explore why families can struggle to have conversations about the future, the assumptions parents and children can make about one another, and why avoiding difficult conversations today can create much bigger problems tomorrow.

Peter also shares five questions he recommends families start asking when they don't know where to begin including questions about expectations, future participation in the farm, family members' roles, the farm's legacy and meaningful personal belongings.

Most importantly, Peter challenges the idea that succession planning is about creating the perfect plan.

"The outcome is the planning, not the plan."

Because people change. Circumstances change. Plans change. What matters is getting the family talking, creating action and making progress.

In This Episode

• Why communication can be more challenging than the actual succession plan

• Why farm families often avoid conversations about the future

• The difficult questions families need to be willing to ask