Kansas Confronts a Wave of Farm Succession Decisions
As the average age of Kansas farmers climbs, families are wrestling with how to pass operations to the next generation, or whether they can.
With the average age of Kansas farmers climbing well into the late fifties, families across the state are confronting difficult decisions about how to pass their operations to the next generation, and whether the next generation wants them.
Farm succession has become one of the most pressing issues in rural Kansas. High land values, thin margins, and the pull of city jobs make it hard for young people to enter farming, even on ground their families have worked for generations. Estate planning specialists say too many families put off the conversation until a crisis forces it.
"The hardest part is not the taxes or the paperwork. It is getting everyone in the same room to talk," an agricultural attorney said. Programs that pair retiring farmers with beginning ones have gained interest.
Advocates warn that without a smoother handoff, more land will be consolidated into fewer, larger operations or sold to outside investors.
