We polled the audience at our 2026 Commodity Classic panel on “Legacy in Action: Leading and Planning for the Future of Your Farm.” Each response underscored the importance—and challenges—of planning for the next generation.
Only 17% of attendees had both a written succession plan and leadership structure. Keeping their operation viable and family conflict topped the list of middle-of-the-night angst. And nearly equal numbers of children and parents in the audience ranked these as their top questions: How do I get my parents to build a succession plan? When should my son/daughter start making decisions?
The Farm Credit panelists—Natasha Cox, SVP of lending at Mid-America, Peter Lemmer, chief legal counsel at Greenstone, and Russ Tweiten, AgCountry’s RVP of succession planning and retirement—tackled these topics and more:
Evaluating where you are in succession and leadership planning.
Why transitions to the next generation fail.
Practical steps for strengthening leadership, preserving family relationships, and ensuring business continuity.
Legal, financial, and tax considerations.
Watch the recorded discussion to move your operation forward for the next generation.
Our previous webinar recordings are available on-demand. Check out other related videos.
