Protect The Family Farm: Farm leaders gather to learn how to transition their business to the next generation

摘要

MORE than 75 farmers and family members gathered in a downtown Sacramento law office in late March to learn how to protect and maintain their most important asset—the family farm. It was the first of four sessions of a year-long series titled, "Keeping the Family Farm in the Family" sponsored by the Downey Brand law firm and the WestMark Group, a strategic consulting firm. For many farm families it is a familiar story: a sudden death of the family patriarch or a messy divorce combines with the lackof a transition plan, forcing the business to close and ultimately resulting in the sale of the farm. But such action isn't limited to a sudden crisis. It could be the selection of an unqualified family member to run the farm who doesn't have the