Learn how to guide the discussion to keep your family farm or forestland intact

Do you own or care for farm or forest land? Do you know what will happen to it when you’re gone? Will it be intact and protected, or will it be divided up and sold off in pieces? Will it become a point of conflict between surviving family members or a shared and honored family sanctuary? Many landowners want to preserve their family lands and associated businesses, but don’t know how to engage the next generation(s) in the process.

Join us Wednesday, March 15 and Tuesday, March 21, 2017 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm both nights for a two-part succession planning workshop. The focus is on helping landowners large and small start their own succession plan discussion using the award-winning Ties to the Land curriculum. Dinner will be provided both evenings. Location is WSU Snohomish County Extension’s Cougar Auditorium, 600 128th St SE Everett, WA.

Succession planning, often called the “human side of estate planning,” is quite different and considered a precursor to a traditional estate plan. The focus is on communication and big-picture planning within families with an eye to keeping a family property and/or business intact for future generations. Building awareness of the different things motivating family members and providing tools to address challenges in a positive way is core to the entire workshop.

Past participant and local landowner Don Theoe stressed the importance of the Ties to the Land workshop. “Talking about these tough issues as a family is critical, especially when multiple heirs with varying levels of interest in the family business are involved,” says Don. “The Ties to the Land workshop and associated materials provide excellent guidance on how to get these conversations going.”

Whether retirement is decades down the road or just over the horizon, if you don’t have a solid succession plan in place, and you care what happens to your farm or forest land, we encourage you to attend this workshop. You’ll learn what can happen when there is no plan in place and gain the skills and tools necessary to prevent that from happening to your legacy.

Guest speakers include real estate Attorney Dylan LeValley from Adams & Duncan Lawyers in Everett and Michelle VanDellen, CPA and Senior Manager from Moss Adams LLP.

Ties to the Land is an award-winning curriculum developed by leading estate planning experts at Oregon State University Extension and the Austin Family Business Program. This workshop is a facilitated mix of presentations and practical exercises to help families develop techniques needed to address tough issues and resources.

Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office or to the WSU Center for Human Rights. Persons with a disability requiring special accommodation can request accommodation 21 days before training at (425) 338-2400. If accommodation is not requested in advance, we cannot guarantee availability on-site.