Transition planning for your farm is not for timid producers or procrastinators. It takes courage to plan and speak about helping someone take over your enterprise, your hard work, and your livelihood. But in this critical time in America, it seems more important than ever. Transition planners say it’s crucial.

“It’s a matter of national security,” exclaims Brent Turner, former West Tennessee farm kid and author of “Peace of Land,” a guidebook to help Agricultural families secure their farm or ranch for future generations. “We have a lot of mouths to feed around the world! America has always been an agrarian society, but there’s more potential now to lose our farmland. Everywhere across this country, there is pressure for the next generation NOT to farm.”

Like Brent, people across America are speaking out about saving family farms and offering encouragement, information, and counseling on how to do it, making it fair for heirs and successors alike.

Brent is a Montana-based succession planning specialist with deep Tennessee farming roots. He grew up on a Milan row-crop and cattle farm, was a leader in Tennessee FFA, and graduated from UT Martin in 1991 with a degree in animal science. He has spent the past 35 years in financial planning. “When I created Agri-Generational, Inc., I had one goal: to create a platform for America’s farmers and ranchers to have the tools necessary to properly plan for the succession of their enterprise to the next generation. We go to great lengths to equip the successors with the wisdom of the previous generation and map the strategy for continuity without interruptions or wealth transfers.”

“I don’t want to see another family farm leave, ever, because they didn’t have a plan. That’s my passion; that’s my love — I am working to help farmers because of the passion I have for agriculture.”

When asked about his book “Peace of Land,” Brent said he is thrilled with the impact it is having nationwide.

“It is about a family who waited until one of the events happened that usually encourages families to act. They got busy, and with the help of a guide, were able to find unique abilities in each of the family members to put together a dream team, along with a blueprint to follow for success.”

“The book was easy to write because it is the same story I hear every day,” adds Brent. “I wrote it to provide families with hope that this is not as daunting a task as it might seem. Planning before an event puts the family in a much more favorable position because all the players are still here and healthy, not to mention how much money is saved.”

Brent identifies five core “pillars” of agricultural succession: Financial planning — finding money farmers are losing unnecessarily and creating retirement strategies not solely dependent on land and equipment; Tax planning — addressing tax exposure and preparing for transition; Conflict resolution — acknowledging long-standing family tensions that can derail continuity; Liquidity planning — tackling the problem of heirs who want different things; and Governance — tying everything together through legal language.

Brent offers his transition services in person and online, and is building a nationwide network of financial planners, attorneys, and accountants trained in his “Agri-Generational” method, with advisors already operating in multiple states.

He is also launching an online “school” community on the www.skool.com/agri-generational, a platform to give farmers on-demand education, tools, and peer support for succession planning. His website, www.agrigenerational.com, offers a free 20-question “legacy readiness assessment” that scores an operation's preparedness for transition and enrolls users in a weekly, non-sales newsletter focused on planning conversations and legacy continuity.

Like Brent, Kelli Russell of Auburn University agrees that keeping our agricultural producers in business is a national security issue and is very passionate about saving family farms. Kelli was a guest speaker in January at GreenPoint’s 2026 Southern Agronomy Summit and addressed rooms full of attendees interested in transition planning.

“I’m an ag kid; I grew up in this industry,” said Kelli. “My parents run a 225-head commercial cow-calf operation, and my mother’s a vet. My grandfather also runs a fourth-generation farm, so I see and live out day-to-day what it looks like to go through farm transitions, and the difficulties families face when there are heirs or no heirs.”

“Regardless of what you do, you’re faced with hard choices,” she says. “Transition planning is an unwelcome topic because you're talking about someone’s exit from an industry they love. But if you don’t plan for it, you’re going to have to make several choices at once.”

Kelli says that strategizing with wise counsel is encouraged. Start by speaking with fellow farmers and industry professionals. Talk through your plan with those impacted by it. Start early with a plan and change that plan as your children marry, as they decide if they are going to farm, as your farm help changes. Don’t wait to do it all at the last minute, which might find you making important decisions under pressure. Change your plan as you go.

Farm succession planning is critical for U.S. agriculture, with the USDA projecting that approximately 10% of all farmlands will transition hands in the next five years, and close to three-quarters of all land in the United States will transition within two decades. However, research from a statewide Farm Poll reveals that only 46% of state agricultural producers have a farm succession plan.

Farm Family Transition Expert Elaine Froese of Manitou, Canada, also encourages farm families to have courageous conversations. Elaine is a go-to expert for families who want better communication and conflict resolution to secure a successful farm transition. She is nicknamed “Canada’s Farm Whisperer” because Brent Turner says she is dynamic in helping families work through the hardest conflicts to save their farms.

The University of Tennessee Extension also provides comprehensive support for farm succession through the Farmland Legacy program.

You can access their workbook, “Planning Today for Tomorrow’s Farms,” or get information on upcoming workshops at farmlandlegacy.tennessee.edu to begin the process of transferring management and ownership. Additionally, their MANAGE program offers personalized farm and financial planning to help families analyze their business strengths and prepare for future transitions.

For more information, visit Brent’s website at agrigenerational.com, purchase Brent’s book Peace of Land on Amazon, read more from Kelli Russell blog https://tinyurl.com/y85sr2ht, or find out more about working through family dynamics at Elainefroese.com.