Your Farm’s Next Generation: How and When to Involve Your Children

For some, college was decided long ago but for others they may be planning to stick around the farm and help out the family. While that might seem like a good idea given the current farm economy, you might want to give that plan a little more thought.

The tender age of eighteen is too young to know what you really want to do with your life, and although college isn’t for everyone, most young adults need the additional time to grow up and decide what they want to do. Education after high school doesn’t necessarily mean college, trade schools are just as valuable and are in high demand.

Some of the most successful farm families I know have a family rule that their children cannot join the family farm after high school. They must first attend college and then get a job for a minimum of 2 to 4 years, before they are allowed to join the family farm. This allows them to grow up off the farm, learn how to support themselves without the farm carrying them. It also gives them a good opportunity to learn something of value that they can bring back to the farm.

Bringing your children into the family farm can be even more difficult if you are partners with other family members who have children who want to join the farm as well. How do you decide to gets to join? I’ve seen some partnerships dissolve at this point because they couldn’t agree on how to bring in the next generation. The partnerships dissolved and formed new partnerships with their children. Its’ good to discuss adding additional family members early in the partnership and make it part of the agreement so there are no surprises when kids graduate from school.