Your Tractor Might Be the Best Succession Planning Office You'll Ever Have

Long summer hours in the tractor cab provide something that is increasingly rare in modern life… some much-needed time to think without interruption.

Farmers usually spend those hours contemplating weather, yields, equipment breakdowns, commodity prices, and the crop in front of them.

But what if a few of those hours were used differently than they have been in the past? What if some of that time was spent thinking about your children, your legacy, and what comes next for the farm?

It doesn’t have to be complex or stressful. Just ask yourself some simple questions while navigating the bumps.

Of course, summer is not the time for most farmers to take a deep dive into succession planning. Early days and late nights fill our calendar, so business planning gets pushed back to winter. It makes sense.

But there is a way to take advantage of those extended hours.

According to Farmstrong founder Derryn Shrosbree, summer may actually be the perfect time to begin the succession process in your mind. It’s not because you have time to complete a detailed succession plan, but because you finally have time to think about it.

“Most farmers put their families first, their crops first, and their livestock first,” says Shrosbree. “But every once in a while, it’s worth asking yourself what you want. That can be a difficult question. It’s often more difficult than most people think.”

Those solitary moments of summer can be used to cultivate a new direction for your future.

Shrosbree says you should ask yourself: “What is important to me? What do I want to achieve? What do I want this farm to become?”

In her recent podcast with Shrosbree, host and farmer Tracy Brunet shared some laughs as she revealed her favourite time for uninterrupted thinking.

“My best thinking time is in my truck driving down the highway,” she says with a laugh. “If Tracy’s in her truck, don’t call her.”

Most farmers can relate.

There is something about being alone inside a tractor, combine, sprayer, or truck that creates space for reflection. It is often where ideas are formed, problems are solved, and important decisions begin to take shape.

For Shrosbree, succession planning starts long before accountants, lawyers, or advisors become involved.

“The math is easy. The heart is difficult,” he says.

“I ask farmers what their number one priority is, and very few people immediately know the answer. Usually they tell me nobody has ever asked them what they want.”

That is why summer can be so valuable.

Perhaps you want the farm to remain intact for another generation. Maybe you operate a fifth-generation farm and feel a deep responsibility to continue that legacy. Perhaps some of your children are involved in the operation while others have built lives elsewhere. Or maybe you're simply concerned about the tax implications of passing the farm on.

These questions rarely have simple answers.

Shrosbree encourages farmers not to rush toward solutions. Instead, sit with these questions:

• Do you want the farm to stay together?

• Do you want to carve it up?

• Who do you want to leave it to?

• What does fairness look like?

• Most importantly, what is your number one priority?

And don't stop with your own answers. Ask your children what they want.

“You might be pleasantly surprised,” says Shrosbree. “And you might discover that what you thought their answer would be isn't actually their answer at all.”

By the time winter arrives, when there is finally time to gather around a kitchen table and start working through the details, you'll already have something invaluable: clarity.

The future of the farm will not be determined by a single meeting or legal document. It will be shaped by a series of honest conversations that begin with one simple question:

What matters most?
This summer, make some time to ask yourself.