KINGSTON, R.I. – February 16, 2007 — A key to keeping family farms operating is the successful transfer of the farm to the next generation. The University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension, in association with the R.I. Division of Agriculture and Marketing, will offer two workshops designed to help farmers make informed decisions about farm transfer, estate planning, and related retirement issues.
Farm families and owners of agricultural lands, as well as organizations interested in agricultural land preservation, are encouraged to attend.
The first workshop, “Transferring the Farm I: An Introductory Workshop on Farm Business Succession,” will be held March 13 from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bryant University, Douglas Pike, Smithfield. This workshop provides an overview of issues farmers should consider as they navigate the farm transition process, including family communication and goal setting, estate and retirement planning, tools to transfer farm management and assets, and the roles that farm link programs and land trusts can play in farm transfers.
The second workshop in the series, “Transferring the Farm II: Moving Your Farm Transfer Forward,” is scheduled for March 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the South Kingstown Land Trust field office, 17 Matunuck Beach Rd., South Kingstown. Topics to be addressed include long-term health care issues and farm transition business agreements.
Workshop presenters will include legal and estate planning professionals, representatives from agricultural land preservation programs, and local farmers that have undertaken farm transfer processes.
Advance registration through the University of Vermont Center for Sustainable Agriculture is required. Cost of each workshop is $20 if postmarked before March 5 for the first workshop or by March 19 for the second. The late registration fee is $30 per workshop. The registration fees cover the costs of handouts, refreshments and lunch.
For additional information and registration forms, visit www.uvm.edu/landlinkvt, contact the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture at (802) 656-0233 or (802) 656-5459, or contact Ernest Morreira at URI Cooperative Extension at (401) 874-4280, morreira@uri.edu.
Transferring the Farm workshops are made possible by a grant from the USDA Northeast Center for Risk Management Education and are being offered in partnership with the Universities of Vermont, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, and cooperating regional organizations.