1. Not sharing your succession intentions with other family members and loyal employees. The future 
depends on you. It rests in the decisions you make and the actions you 
take. Whether it comes up in conversation or not, people want to know 
about your plans for the farm's future. They want to know what you've 
done—how you've ensured continuation of the operation, when you'll begin
 grooming the next generation for leadership and if you've considered 
each family's needs related to financial security. 
 2. Not committing your succession plan to print. If
 it's not written, it doesn't exist. Writing makes it real. It forces 
you to make decisions, draw lines and commit to specific actions. 
Without a written plan, anything goes. Every person has a dream, but 
converting that dream to written goals and then supporting those goals 
with action will make your dreams a reality. Whether you write it or 
someone else does, it becomes yours the moment you say, "I will."
2. Not committing your succession plan to print. If
 it's not written, it doesn't exist. Writing makes it real. It forces 
you to make decisions, draw lines and commit to specific actions. 
Without a written plan, anything goes. Every person has a dream, but 
converting that dream to written goals and then supporting those goals 
with action will make your dreams a reality. Whether you write it or 
someone else does, it becomes yours the moment you say, "I will."  
3. Not handling the tough matters and making the emotional decisions. Assuming
 they'll work it out after you're gone leaves a trail of discontent and 
destruction. No matter how good the operation is today, it won't last if
 you don't establish a plan for the operation to continue. Make good 
decisions for the business. Take definitive action and ensure the 
continuing success of your operation. A complete plan will include 
provisions for an ownership transition, financial security, leadership 
development and the estate tax provisions. 
 Everywhere
 I turn today, there are articles, seminars and advisors eager to help 
you create a succession plan. The support you find covers a range from 
excellent advice to unsavory sales tactics. Regardless of the quality of
 the service, it's available in plentiful quantities. Over the past 
several years, we've brought you all the information you need, as well 
as case studies to prove our methods and tools to start you on the right
 path.
Everywhere
 I turn today, there are articles, seminars and advisors eager to help 
you create a succession plan. The support you find covers a range from 
excellent advice to unsavory sales tactics. Regardless of the quality of
 the service, it's available in plentiful quantities. Over the past 
several years, we've brought you all the information you need, as well 
as case studies to prove our methods and tools to start you on the right
 path.  
The
 other day, I came across a KansasCity.com article titled, "Tax, estate 
planning crucial for keeping, passing on farmland." It covers the 
essence of a message we continue to reinforce at every turn. Dave 
Goeller, deputy director of the North Central Risk Management Education 
Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, reinforces my sentiments, 
saying, "...good estate planning for farmers and ranchers is more than 
tax management. Good plans need to resolve legal issues, financial ones 
and the emotional ones of the participants, too."