Four Generations

By Harvey Benson

Harmony, MN

What do you see for your farm and the area around after four generations?

Equally, what would you like to see?

I know what I’d like to see; a vibrant farm area with thriving villages.

Is that the way things are going?  Not at all.  Farmers are getting older (as we all are) and in the next 15 years a great many will pass their farm on, in one way or another.

For the past couple of decades, the trend has been for neighboring landowners to buy the neighbor’s land and thus increase their land ownership.

This is not healthy. Rural population goes down. Villages suffer from this decreased population. Neighbors are less likely to know much about each other.

And we know that community is important. Coming together is good for us in many ways.

We read much these days how people suffer, if not actively engaged with others.

What am I getting to? I am getting to a different way of land transfer; one that really doesn’t hurt anyone and is a benefit to individual and community.

There are people everywhere eager to farm (smaller or larger acreages) but at current farm prices, are priced out of the market. 

So, farmers who are leaving: think about this.  When you are about to leave the farm, what is the situation of your children? Often there are no children who are farming with you and will not come back to farm when you leave.  So, what happens? The neighbor buys it up (at going prices). He gets bigger and the countryside gets emptier.

Think about this now. How about giving your land away?  By this time in their life the children are well established and are not in need.  Will a bunch of money make them happier?

Most families are comfortable and the extra money will not add to their joy. (My thoughts.)

There are many ways to transfer land.  Seek them out – now!  Don’t wait until it is too late.

These transfers take time.  Please give this a thought.

If one can farm the land without a mortgage, they can farm it differently, and I believe better; not so much to farm for the top dollar, to pay off the mortgage and interest.

If we continue down the path, we are going, what will there be for that fourth generation from now?

I think of Czarist Russia, a few landowners and a lot of serfs.

Think carefully of the fourth generation from now. I have, and it worries me, and it should you.