Farm & Ranch succession and estate planning workshops to be held

Colorado State University’s Agricultural and Business Management Economist Jeff Tranel will be leading two workshops to help local agricultural producers learn how to work through the transfer of their farms and ranches to the next generation and begin planning their estates.

The Yuma workshop will be held on Dec. 8 from 1:30-5:30 p.m. at the Yuma Community Center, 421 E. 2nd Ave., Yuma. The Brush session will be held on Dec. 9 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Riverview Event Center, 19201 CR 24, Brush.

These workshops are hosted by Premier Farm Credit and all area producers are invited to attend. Please RSVP to secure your spot to (970) 522-5295 or online at premieraca.com/event-rsvp.

“I understand the difficulties of talking with one’s family about such sensitive issues, selecting who takes over the farm or ranch business and even thinking about one’s own mortality,” Tranel said. “But if we don’t plan for our families and businesses, someone else will do it for us — and it most likely won’t be what we would have wanted.”

This workshop will cover a variety of topics, including: strategies for keeping the farm or ranch in the family; the Four Pillars of a Lasting Legacy (values and life lessons, personal possessions of emotional value, final wishes and instructions and real estate and finances); and family communications — parents talking and working with their children and children talking to their parents to understand mom and dad’s financial situation and desires for retirement and the future of the farm/ranch.

Tranel was raised on a purebred and commercial cow-calf operation in south central Wyoming and northwestern Colorado. He writes extensively about estate planning and succession planning, conducts numerous workshops and facilitates farm and ranch families in their efforts to have agricultural business that spans several generations. He has addressed more than 10,000 producers throughout the United States and in five countries.

For more information, contact Premier Farm Credit at (970) 522-5295.