Farmers and ranchers are facing important decisions about transitioning their business to the next generation. According to Family Business Consultant Jolene Brown, the foundation of a successful farm transition involves honoring the family by doing the business right. “You have to make sure the business is worthy of transitioning, and then you have to do all the paperwork to make sure it gets done. A conversation is not a contract,” says Brown. Along with the transition process comes tough questions. During a panel discussion, farmers had those questions answered by experts in the field. Russ Tweiten, vice president of succession and retirement planning, AgCountry Farm Credit Services, says it’s better to start the process sooner rather than later. “When you have a successor coming in, that’s when you start. It’s difficult to transition when there is a lot of debt on the balance sheet.” AgCountry Farm Credit Services hosted a farm transition workshop this past week in Grand Forks. Hear more of the conversation.