Sharing knowledge - a major part of any successful farm transition

Someday, the keys to your farm will be handed to someone else. Are you ready to get them up to speed? Are they ready, and do they have the skills required?  

For Canadian farm families, a successful transition needs a plan for both ownership and the transfer of knowledge and responsibilities.

A farm transition isn't just about transferring ownership

Equipment, land and ownership can be transferred through a plan. Experience, decision-making and years of practical know-how require intentional effort. Sharing knowledge early and building the next generation's skills and experience can reduce risk and strengthen your transition plan. 

Owning and operating a farm is complex and requires many different skills and experiences. It ranges from having a gut feeling that the ground is still too tacky to work, to adopting a new technology, to building a network of information resources to help with marketing decisions.  

That's why transferring knowledge and responsibilities is a step in FCC's pathway to transition. It's not only about passing on assets and the business. It's also about preparing people to take over and manage the farm.

Key takeaways

• A transition plan needs to address both ownership and the transfer of knowledge and responsibilities.

• Successors need technical and financial knowledge, decision-making skills and leadership capabilities.

• Knowledge transfer happens when knowledge stops living in one person's head. It won’t happen all at once and it doesn’t happen by accident.

• Training can fill gaps that on-farm experience and mentoring cannot.

Good transitions develop the next farm CEO  

Starting with one process or responsibility can get knowledge transfer moving. The younger generation needs to be proactive. Intentional knowledge transfer is only part of the equation. If you're the younger generation, identify the holes in your knowledge and experience, ask questions and look for ways to prepare for future responsibilities. Leaders are lifelong learners, especially in agriculture. 

How can training fill gaps in skills and experience?

As the senior generation, think back on how little you knew when you started and how many hard-fought lessons you learned. Under good leadership, an organization continues to thrive even after the leader leaves.  

It takes real leadership to share control and teach what you know. Ultimately, the farm business will need someone prepared to take the reins when you’re ready to step away.  

Training can complement on-farm experience and mentoring when they're not enough to fill a gap. 

It's not a weakness to admit you need help or that someone else might do a specific job better than you. Being willing to seek advice and training can strengthen the farm business. According to Farm Management Canada, when stacked up against their peers, a commitment to continuous learning is one of the things that sets top farm managers apart from the rest.

Start small and start today 

Start a training journal. When you’re on the farm, carry around a small book in your shirt pocket or take notes on your phone. Write down questions as they come up before you forget. Assess yourself and jot down any areas where you feel you could use some training or mentorship.  

This week, identify one decision, responsibility or process that depends heavily on one person's knowledge. Then take the first step in sharing it. Complete FCC's roles and responsibilities assessment separately and compare your answers. The earlier you start, the more prepared the next generation will be to take on future responsibilities with confidence. 

Once you start, keep working at it. Many farmers have been making all the decisions for a long time without explaining it to anyone. It may take some effort on both sides before they become comfortable sharing what goes into the decisions. Curiosity is the soil in which knowledge grows.

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