Back by popular demand, Dr. Ron Hanson, an agri-business professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, brought his honest and entertaining approach for dealing with family farm succession matters to the Beef Industry Convention.
Hanson, who teaches full-time at the University of Nebraska, counsels family farm operations in his spare time.
He shared his valuable insight during his presentation on Multi-Generation Farm Family Beef Cattle Operations: Family Harmony vs. Family Conflicts.
So why can multi-generation farming work so well in some families while others have to struggle?
In his 32 years of counseling, Hanson said he can trace every farm family failure (these families are no longer farming today) to one of seven mistakes.
And these failures between family members, he said, did not result from production failures or financial troubles, but the inability of the family members to effectively communicate and work together in a team effort approach to their farming business.
- Let a father-adult son or father-adult daughter farming relationship turn into a parent-child relationship.
- Family members “gossip” about each other rather than talking to each other to resolve their differences.
- Family members carry a “personal grudge” against each other.
- Simple family (or employee) disagreements turn into family fights. Arguments go beyond the boiling point and tempers now take over.
- Family members as well as employees in the farm’s work force are not able to have open and honest discussions. This failure to communicate effectively with other family members and/or employees only invites a farming business failure.
- Family members fail to set goals for both the family and the farm business.
- Family members in the farm’s work force are simply not willing to get along with each other.
To help families avoid the mistakes, Hanson shared several hints and strategies to resolve conflicts or disagreement. He said everything begins with an open and honest discussion between family members.
They must begin to communicate and share their feelings or concerns. If individual members of a farm family withdraw from the situation and won’t even discuss it, he said there is no hope of ever working out a feasible solution.
Hanson also recommends that families take their time when working out a farm business arrangement to make sure that a son or daughter really has the motivation to farm and everyone has the ability to work together.
He said to give it “a trial run” before signing any formal agreements.
Once again, Dr. Hanson has generously allowed OCFA to post a handout on this web site.