Seeding for Success

George Jackson is a retired professional agrologist.

This book is based on Calibaba’s 16 years of experience advising
farmers on financial matters. It tells the story of a young professional
agriculture graduate who decides to return home after working outside
for five years. The family grain farm, located 20 miles south of Swift
Current, Saskatchewan, is comprised of eight quarter-sections and
equipped with the appropriate machinery. The fictional conversation
involves the family members, the father and mother, and son and
daughter-in-law, in a series of discussions with their financial
planner.

The discussions lead us through the various stages of planning and
implementing the transfer of the farm to the next generation. The
financial arrangements for the purchase are spelled out, as are the
retirement plans, the living arrangements, and financial security for
the parents. Wills, life insurance, investment alternatives, and tax
planning are discussed with all the family members.

This is a most useful book for farm families at all stages of
generational ownership. The author provides a shopping list of items,
some or all of which will fit every family farm situation. If you are
thinking of starting farming, are established and want to bring a family
member into the operation, or are planning to retire in the next 10
years, this book deserves your attention.

One caution—the family we see never has to face a crisis. The
machinery doesn’t break, the crop yield and prices exceed the
estimate, and the interest rates are at a manageable level. A chapter or
two on coping with situations with a large gap between planning and
reality would be helpful. Seeding for Success is practical and
informative and will provoke many discussions around the farm kitchen
table.