Successful estate planning and farm transfer require effective communication and a team effort—including financial, farm management, tax and legal expertise. Because plans must be tailored to individual circumstances, they must be designed to meet a variety of unique situations.

This guide provides information and examples to help assess your own situation and form an action plan. The guide discusses basic estate planning as well as some strategies and techniques to transfer your operation and land, using case studies and examples to illustrate some of these. While special emphasis is placed on conservation options, the guide covers a variety of approaches to keeping land available to the next generation. Since combining land transfer and protection can complicate other estate planning efforts, it is important to understand all the alternatives.