By STACY CAMPBELL
Cottonwood Extension District
The Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics will be hosting three conferences to help farmers and ranchers plan for the transition of their farm to the next generation.
The locations of the conference include:
· March 6: Garden City – Clarion Inn.
· March 7: Great Bend – Great Bend Convention Center.
· March 8: Manhattan – Manhattan Convention Center.
Each conference begins at 9 a.m. and adjourns by 3 p.m. Lunch and materials will be provided.
Ashlee Westerhold, director of the Office of Farm and Ranch Transition at K-State said that “85% of Kansas farms are family owned. A Farm Journal survey indicated that 80% of farmers plan to transfer control of their operation to the next generation, but only 20% were confident that their succession plan would achieve that goal.”
Shannon Ferrell, professor and agricultural law specialist at Oklahoma State University, is the keynote speaker at all three locations. He will give an informative, yet humorous, overview of the importance of transition planning and how a farm family can begin the process.
The conference agenda also includes presentations about Farm Service Agency’s CRP-TIP program for transitioning farms, an overview of K-State resources for farm transition, and presentations by local attorneys and accountants on the nuts and bolts of putting a plan in place.
Registration costs $60 and must be received by March 1. For more information about the conference and to register go to www.agkansitions.org.