Legacy by Design LLC.
Cultivating Multigenerational Success in the Agricultural Community
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Legacy by Design in the News
Five Keys to Planning Success
Life is full of learning opportunities. And the more you learn, the more you want to know...
Proper Planning Puts You in the Pilot Seat
Why leave a lifetime of work up to chance?
Endurance for Generations
The Farm Journal Legacy Project continues its mission to help farm families...
Fathers and the Family Farm
"An important part of a successful transition from father to son." (Courtesy of Case IH)...
The Work Begins
"We almost put the operation in worse jeopardy..."
Legacy Project Leaves a Legacy
The Legacy Project is no small undertaking...
Plan the Path
For hard-charging, successful agripreneurs, the life-altering change of retirement is not always easy...
The Paper Chase at Your Dairy
Sorting out all the nitty-gritty may require the wisdom of Solomon.
Spafford Awarded Highest Peer Honor for Service to Farm Families
Kevin Spafford 2011 recipient of the 'Wilmer Award' for displaying the Farm Journal founder principles.
'Grand Neal Award' Presented to Farm Journal Legacy Project
Legacy by Design, LLC (in collaboration with Farm Journal Media) is pleased to announce...
Homecoming
Gregory's parents are tickled that their son is so passionate about returning to the farming operation.
Legacy Project Survey 2011
Help us help you. Your feedback will guide our future efforts...
Legacy Workshops Kick Off in Iowa
The workshop in Ames is the first of the 2011 series of workshops presented by Spafford, intended to help prepare familyi farms for generational transition.
The Decisions You Make, The Actions You Take
It starts with a notion which becomes a dream that, if strong enough, leads to action. Every enterprise ws once, and for a time, an idea.
2011 Brings Thoughts of Transitions
"Looking back, I can see that without a formal transition plan for our family's dairy, we were fighting an uphill battle..."
PA Secretary of Ag on the Legacy Project
"Ag is a deeply-rooted part of Pennsylvania's heritage, and many of our farm families are facing a common challenge..."
The Farmer's Daughter
Where do nonactive siblings fit into the succession picture?
Succession Planning Encouraged Through Legacy Project
How important is succession planning to Pennsylvania farmers? Important enought that two weeks before Christmas...
Succession Setbacks
Life happens. It especially happens on a farm where three busy families live, work and play...
(More on the Esthers, one of our Farm Journal Legacy Project Case Study Families.)
Tools for Succession Planning
The Farm Journal Legacy Project offers more than 30 tools to help you and your family create a farm transition plan.
Older farmers keep working...
Discussing farm transition is critical, and a formal plan can help avert squabbles.
'Planning benefits eldest, youngest'
Too often nothing is done because of poor communication...
The Mentoring Difference
Management versus Leadership... both are essential to succeed in any undertaking.
Taking the First Steps
"We don't know what all we need to do, but we know we have to get going..."
The Journey Begins
Jim and Greg Moes, their spouses and their families are embarking on a journey that will force them to make some tough choices and difficult decisions.
An Issue of Trust
Every morning and 4, Jim and Greg Moes meet in their office at the dairy's new milking center to plan the day's activities...
Workshop Opens Succession Process
Kevin Spafford visits with AgWeb's Greg Vincent about the Legacy Project workshops, and how families may begin the conversation.
Top Dairies on Leave a Legacy
Dairy Today's recap of Leave a Legacy - airing May 20, 2010 and viewable online (or
What's Stopping You?
Kevin Spafford has heard all the excuses...
A Legacy for Agriculture
One after another, readers have reached out to say "thank you"...
Our Ties to the Land
"Emotional connections to the land may seem unwise to those who view business as purely commercial..."
A Closer Look... at 5 Succession Questions You Can Resolve
As a leader, how are you preparing for the single biggest obligation a family business owner may ever face?
Personality Plus
Catch up on the latest as Legacy by Design guides the Dells to solve their succession puzzle...
Legacy Project Helps Pioneer Customers Plan for the Future
Legacy Project workshops are an important first step in the succession planning process...
Bring on Brother
Lori Esther shakes her head in disbelief sometimes at the thought of her sons farming together.
Road Map to a Legacy
The Dell family was lost. Although the road to farm succession was paved with good intentions...
Succession Planning Perspective - from Father to Son
When a son comes back to farm with his dad, there may be both successes and failures...
Legacy Project: Succession Planning Advice
From AgConnect in Orlando, Kevin describes how farmers can take their first step in succession planning...
Pioneer Announces Grant for Legacy Project
"Single largest advocacy initiative of its kind..."
Top Producer: Legacy Project Tips
At Top Producer, the Esther family shared their experiences through the Legacy Project and Legacy by Design.
Looking to the Future
"We invite you to join us and start today in taking meaningful steps to leave a legacy..."
Many Roads to Leaving a Legacy
"We are committed to making sure families have access to the tools needed to leave a legacy..."
Lone Ranger
Losing a farm partner is twice as hard when it's your father.
How to Know When It's Time
Succession is the natural next step in a growing operation. How do we know when it's time to get started?
Staring Down Succession
Wayne and Cindy Windmann are a rare breed in today’s agriculture. They are what you might call “self-made”...
Free Enterprise Isn't Free
Bashing capitalism and blaming free enterprise is all the rage these days. Use this column as a catalyst for constructive conversation about the transition of your agribusiness from one generation to the next...
The Path to Legacy
"A wise parent does not prepare the path for the child, but instead prepares the child for the path." Read Jeanne Bernick's "The Path to Legacy" in the latest issue of Top Producer.
Communication: Your Survival Depends on It
Communication is to family business what water is to agriculture - the lifeblood of success.
We Simply Want What's Best
Most people have a dream - a mental picture and description of the operaton they would create if money were not an issue, resources were plentiful and active family members functioned like a well-oiled machine.
It Seemed Like a Good Idea
Like our recent office remodel, succession planning is a leap of faith.
Will Your Farm Be Ready?
Come what may, the opportunity to learn from the experience of others will be priceless.
Meet the Farmers in the Dell
The Dells are one of three farm families chosen to participate in the Legacy Project, through Farm Journal and Legacy by Design. Award winning writer Pam Smith chronicles conversations and developments as Legacy by Design guides the family to ach
The Challenges of Kids These Days
Passing the leadership baton from one generation to the next calls for planning, timing and communication. Need some pointers? Read on...
Succession Planning at Leading Edge
Leading Edge Conference to highlight succession planning...
Legacy Project Case Study
Check back regularly for updates on the Dell family's succession planning, and to meet two other Legacy Project families.
Change Happens
"For every adversity there is always the seed of an equal or greater benefit..."
What is the Legacy Project?
In this clip from AgDay TV, host Scott Kinrade discusses the Farm Journal Legacy Project...
Effort Aims to Help Farmers with Legacies
"The challenges we are experiencing today are difficult...
Pass On Your Values
"Perhaps because of agriculture’s close ties to the land and nature, few industries match its strong moral, ethical and religious underpinnings..."
Qualities of Leadership
The call for mentoring in the agricultural community.
Management vs. Leadership
Leadership, and the ability to set an objective, explore alternatives...
Time for Action
"Our survey showcases the need to make legacy planning a reality...
Navigate the Road Ahead
Today's floundering economy serves as a great equalizer. We all face challenges...
Communication in the Family Business
If unfettered communication is critical to success, how does a business ensure a healthy dialogue?
Our No. 1 Goal
"My wife and I are third-generation cattle ranchers on a small family operation... should we consider a land trust or a conservation easement?..."
USDA Ag Census - View Full Report
USDA released the 2007 Agriculture Census on February 04, 2009.
Can You Hear It?
If you listen really hard you can hear it...
Eye on the Future
"Regardless of what happens, the entire Tom family wants to sit down for holiday dinners together...
The Right Tool for the Job
My knuckles pay a painful price every time I use that darn open-end wrench...
A Rock and a Hard Place
"I was overwhelmed and overjoyed when I saw the Legacy Project Survey in the November issue of Farm Journal...
Protect Your Family Farm Investment
A family farm is an investment of time, love, money and labor...
AgDay/USFR: Legacy by Design
View AgDay/U.S. Farm Report episode on succession planning...
Ready or Not for Succession
A succession plan is more than 75 pages of diagrams, action plans and explanations. It’s fulfilling dreams and aspirations...
Farm Meeting Looks to the Future
The economy's impact on agriculture, ensuring food safety and sorting out who will inherit the farm...
Farm Journal Legacy Project Survey
The Farm Journal Legacy Project strives to “Cultivate Multigenerational Success in the Agricultural Community.” Please complete this brief survey...
For the Next 100 Years
"My husband’s parents are octogenarians (a fancy word that means people who are 80 years old)..."
Working Together We Can Plan Success
Dear Far West, Northeast, and other equipment dealer association affiliates, Wow! A very short year ago...
Retirement and Succession Planning Go Hand In Hand
For most dealer-owners, retirement is tied to the fate of their dealerships. Here are some practical points to ponder when retirement planning is in the offing.
Allowing Emotion to Dictate Business Decisions
They enthusiastically participated in the succession planning consultation...
Success Demands Singleness of Purpose
Vince Lombardi, arguably one of the best coaches in NFL history, liked to focus on the fundamentals...
Survive or Thrive?
Though we lived there for several years, a recent trip to California's Central Coast was the perfect occasion...
Putting Emotion in the Driver's Seat
We’ve all done it - lashed out at something or someone for no particular reason...
The Seven Important Questions Regarding a Merger
It just happened again. Yet another call from the equipment dealer in the adjoining territory encouraging you to consider...
The Choice is Yours...
As if on queue, we both sighed in resignation and slumped back in our chairs. For him the decision to accept retirement seemed...
A Comprehensive Succession Plan Can Help Your Business Endure-Cornell University
Family businesses account for 80 to 90% of all business enterprises in North America, and prov
Maximize the Return on the Business
From a succession planning standpoint, business valuation is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you want to maximize your business value...
Retirement: The Most Critical Issue Facing the American Economy
“You can call it asset, I call it an anchor!”, he bellowed as we started the consultation...
A Comprehensive Succession Plan Can Help Your Business Endure
Family businesses account for 80 to 90% of all business enterprises in North America...
What If...
It all starts with you, the business owner. At some point in your career the inclination to retire overwhelms...
A Year From Now, You'll Be Glad
Life is lightning fast, and its fragile nature exposes all of us to relentless uncertainty. There are no guarantees...
On the Verge of a Merge
Shark or bait, grow or die, merge or acquire…
Cultural Capital
"I would like to retire but, I don’t want to lose my connection. What ideas do you have..."
$26 Trillion at Stake: Passing on Assets Requires Good Planning
As the largest transfer of wealth in world history gets under way in America...
What Makes an Entrepreneur?
An open letter to family business owners...
Series of Reports Helps Families Hand Down the Farm
It's a $26 trillion question: How much disruption and heartache can be avoided...
Spafford Returns to Farm Show with Legacy Planning Seminar
Chico California-based business owner and speaker Kevin Spafford will bring his expertise...
A Lasting Mark for our Families
"Every time our daughter Elizabeth gnaws a chicken bone until it's bare, we tease her that she's carrying on Grandma Leona's legacy. She laughs and loves it. The same goes for her passion to grow things...
Let Us Help You Leave a Legacy
"Leaving a legacy is more than building enduring family ties and creating an estate plan. A legacy is your success that lives on, from one generation to another...
Leave a Legacy
Leaving a legacy is more than building enduring family ties and creating an estate plan. A legacy is your success that lives on, from one generation to another...
Transition Two Step
Visit with any family ranch about what plans are in place to pass the operation from one generation to the...
Cattle Business Wkly: Transitions 2
"So, how can ranch families move into the future with a transition plan in place? Kevin Spafford, a succession planning specialist, shares the following tactics that can be...
Cattle Business Wkly: Transitions 1
"Visit with any ranch family about what plans are in place to pass the operation from one generation to the next - and chances are they've been dancing around the topic...
Farm Journal Offers Chance for Succession Planning
If you’ve delayed succession planning for your operation because you don’t know where to begin, Farm Journal Media wants to help to get you started...
Behind the Scenes with a Notable Agribusiness Family
Recently I began writing a blog for Farm Journal’s AgWeb. Titled “Leave a Legacy”, it’s designed to address...
Leadership: The Notable Difference
“When men climb a mountain together, the rope between them is more than a mere physical aid to an ascent...
Motivation and the Family Business Owner
Whether in a high school sociology class or college psychology, sooner or later everyone gets taught the motivations of the family business..
More ABC's of Mergers & Acquisitions
What an enriching way to start the New Year! In mid-January I was honored to be among the presenters at the Top Producer Seminar in Chicago..
The Ideal Business Relationship - Partnership
Paul’s column in NAEDA Equipment Dealer (October 2007) was particularly moving. The truest of business relationships are borne...&
Estate Planning for Farmers
Estate planning is important for almost everyone, but it's especially important when a family business...
Family Owned Farms Decline
It's a job that not just the nation's but also the world's food supply depends upon, but earning a living...
Legacy By Design: A Book Review
Chico's Kevin Spafford is a certified financial planner who specializes
Ag Alum Writes a Book on How to Keep the Family Farm in the Family
Kevin Spafford (Ag Management '84) is now a Chico financial planner who recently published a guide to successful...
OK, Now What?
"Twenty-five years ago our father gifted undivided interests in the family farm to my three brothers and me. I have yet to receive any benefits...
A Lesson from the Golden Eggs
Remember the story “The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs?” The four-sentence parable by Aesop, a slave in Ancient Greece during the sixth century BC, provides answers to many of life’s questions...
A Springboard for the Future
It happened again. While consulting with a local farm family, I became acutely aware that the best solutions to the succession-planning puzzle...
A Call to Action
I’ve tried to talk about succession issues with my kids, but every time the subject is brought up the conversation...
Don't Put It Off
The decision to plan is smart business. For a farmer, planning for succession is a clear statement that the long-term success of the family operation is important...
Back to the Farm
During a recent visit to my college alma mater, a professor asked me to speak to his class and answer a few questions...
At Square One
We’re planning a family conference. We’ve invited all of our kids and our nieces and nephews who are involved in the farming operation. Our intention is to discuss succession planning..
The Value of a Plan
If none of my children are interested in continuing the farm operation, is a succession plan beneficial as I contemplate retirement...
In an Effort to Change the World
I recently told a group of Farm Bureau delegates that I wanted to change the world. The proclamation was punctuated with light laughter...
Is That a Good Idea?
I’m 46 years old, and I just took over the farming operation from my father. My sons are both in their early 20s and want a career in the family business. I think it may be too early...
Create Lasting Success
Is a succession plan the same as an exit strategy...
Teeter-Totter Dilemma
In your November column you mentioned that “a person must balance the counter-intuitive burdens of human emotion, familial demands and business objectives to successfully manage...
When Legacy Matters
He asked with sincerity, “Can the family farm be saved?"...
A Lasting Legacy Starts Now
Talk of succession planning for my parents’ farm will no doubt creep into our conversations in the near future. Even though...
Fewer family farms passed to the next generation
As a third-generation farmer on his family's Butte County ground, Greg Sohnrey has already beaten farming's tough odds...
An Answer Clearinghouse
We have all sat through an informative presentation patiently waiting for the presenter to wind down and ask for questions. Just as you raise your hand...
When the Hare Beats the Tortoise
Starting early can put you ahead of the game...
The Decisions You Make...
Have constructive conversations, define common goals, tackle the difficult issues, take action...