Farm estate and succession planning is rarely just about documents. For many agricultural families, it involves land, business ownership, family relationships, retirement, taxes, livestock, equipment, management responsibilities—and the deeply personal question of what happens to a farm or ranch that may have taken generations to build.
That is why Cari Rincker, founder of Rincker Law, PLLC, is conducting an updated national survey on farm estate and succession planning and is asking farmers, ranchers, and agricultural landowners across the United States to participate.
The goal is straightforward: gather current, real-world information about how agricultural families are approaching estate planning today, what challenges continue to stand in their way, and what resources may help families better prepare for the future.
The survey takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete. Participation can remain completely anonymous, and the optional request for an email address at the end may simply be skipped.
Take the Farm Estate Planning Survey
Participate here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8YSF9QX
If you work in agriculture—or know someone who does—we also encourage you to share the survey with others throughout the food and agriculture community.
Why This Research Matters
Farm and ranch succession presents challenges that do not always fit neatly into traditional estate planning.
A family may need to determine who will own the land, who will operate the farm, whether ownership and management should remain together, how on-farm and off-farm heirs should be treated, whether the next generation is prepared to assume responsibility, and how the business can remain financially viable during the transition.
Those decisions can become even more difficult when families avoid discussing them.
Cari first conducted a similar survey in 2020. The responses ultimately contributed to her WealthCounsel Quarterly article, “Survey Says: The Current State of Farm and Ranch Estate and Succession Planning,” which examined estate planning, business planning, succession planning, family communication, and some of the most common obstacles agricultural families face.
Now, several years later, Cari is returning to the research with an updated and expanded survey.
The new results will help inform upcoming speaking engagements on farm estate planning, including a presentation this November, as well as future articles and educational resources for the agriculture industry.
What Did the 2020 Survey Tell Us?
The original survey included responses from 58 participants collected between July and October 2020. Although Illinois accounted for many respondents, participants came from across the country, including states such as New York, California, Nebraska, Wyoming, Indiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, South Dakota, Nevada, Michigan, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, New Jersey, and Virginia.
The findings offered an important window into the planning realities agricultural families were facing at the time.
For example, only 56.14% of respondents reported having an estate plan. While 72.7% reported having a last will and testament, only 50% had a power of attorney for property, and fewer than 28% reported having a trust.
The survey also demonstrated that farm estate planning concerns extended far beyond the preparation of legal documents.
Respondents identified priorities such as:
- Preserving the family farm and business;
- Allowing the next generation to continue farming;
- Transferring land and wealth appropriately;
- Avoiding family conflict;
- Maintaining family relationships;
- Providing clear direction following death or incapacity;
- Creating continuity for the agricultural operation; and
- Keeping communication open among family members.
Their fears were equally revealing.
Participants expressed concerns about making sure the plan was done correctly, treating children fairly, disagreements among siblings, taxes, cost, changing family circumstances, older generations who were reluctant to discuss planning, and the possibility that an off-farm heir could feel unfairly treated.
Those answers illustrated something agriculture professionals see again and again: farm succession is simultaneously a legal, financial, business, and family issue.
Succession Planning Remained a Major Concern
One of the most significant findings from the earlier research involved succession.
Slightly more than half of respondents 51.79% said they had identified an heir interested in taking over their farm, ranch, or agricultural business. Yet approximately 26.7% said they had not identified an interested heir, while others remained unsure.
Communication was another concern. Only 56.9% of respondents said their agricultural family openly communicated about estate planning. And nearly 48% reported that they did not have a succession plan addressing the transfer of knowledge and management skills from one generation to the next.
Those findings raise an important question:
What does the picture look like today?
Have more farm families created estate plans?
Are more families discussing succession openly?
Are rising land values, changes in the agricultural economy, family dynamics, business structures, or other developments affecting how farmers think about their future?
Are the barriers the same—or have new ones emerged?
That is exactly what this updated survey is intended to help explore.
We Want to Hear From Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Landowners
The value of this research depends on participation.
Cari is seeking responses from people throughout the United States involved in agriculture, including:
- Farmers
- Ranchers
- Agricultural landowners
- Farm families
- Agricultural business owners; and
- Others whose experiences can help illuminate the estate and succession planning issues facing the industry.
You do not need to have a completed estate plan to participate.
In fact, hearing from people who have not yet completed their planning can be especially helpful. Understanding why families delay planning, whether because of time, cost, uncertainty, family disagreements, lack of information, or other reasons is an important part of understanding the broader problem.
The current survey materials emphasize that participant feedback can help develop better solutions for families seeking to preserve their farms and agricultural legacies for future generations.
Your Responses Can Help Inform the Agriculture Industry
This is more than a request for survey responses.
It is an opportunity for the agriculture community to help generate better information about what farm families actually need.
The results may help attorneys, accountants, financial professionals, mediators, agricultural organizations, educators, and other advisors better understand the concerns farmers and ranchers are facing.
They may also help identify areas where greater education is needed.
Perhaps most importantly, they can help keep the conversation about farm succession and preservation of the family farm grounded in the experiences of the people actually living it.
Take the Survey
If you are a farmer, rancher, agricultural landowner, or otherwise involved in agriculture, Cari would greatly appreciate your participation.
The survey takes approximately 10–15 minutes. Responses may remain anonymous.
Take the survey here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8YSF9QX
And please consider forwarding this article or the survey link to others in your network.
We are looking for participants across the United States, and every additional response helps create a stronger and more meaningful body of data.
Whether your family has been planning for decades, has just begun discussing succession, or has not yet started, your perspective matters.
The future of American agriculture depends in part on how successfully farms and ranches move from one generation to the next. Better information can help us better understand what families need to make that transition possible.
Help Shape the Future of Farm Estate Planning. Take the Survey Today.
Rincker Law, PLLC works with farm and ranch families on estate planning, succession planning, farm business matters, and other issues affecting the food and agriculture industry. For more information, contact Rincker Law at (217) 774-1373.