Bob, a dairy farmer colleague of mine, operated a successful 600-cow dairy. Like most of us, he thought he had a lot more time left in this world.

Many dairy farm businesses are family-run operations that span over multiple generations. While the joy of working with family can be rewarding, challenges often arise on personal and professional levels.

Just so you know, I’m writing this article in September, which happens to be about 50 days before the election. This article will hit your mailbox a couple days after the election.

Parents typically have many questions and concerns when it comes to succession planning.

Wrong and right are not quantifiable. Believe me, I’ve tried. Doing it ‘right’ isn’t a status I’ve ever achieved. I’ve wanted to achieve it because in the moment it feels like if I could do it perfectly, then I’d never hurt anyone or waste money or time.

My wife, Andrea, and I have been married for 35 years now; we’ve been blessed to have a nice home and family. Like many couples, we have had our ups and downs, but fortunately, the ups covered up the few downs nicely. Like many of you, 2020 has been an unusual year, to say the least; however, our most challenging year by far was 1998. That was the year we both reinvented ourselves.