“He’s probably one of the most successful farmers I know,” says Kyle Rupp of his dad, Gary. “He started from the ground up and made all of this possible.”

He calls himself a Rigby town kid, but Dennis Lake was truly his grandfather’s right-hand man on the ranch just north of town. At 88, Lake is still a critical part of the operation. 

If you’ve been in the cattle business long enough, you’ve lived through more than one cycle that made you question your sanity. You’ve seen high interest rates, relentless drought, feed costs spike overnight and markets turn just when you thought you were positioned well.

As an individual farm that relies largely on the sugarbeet crop, Garner recognizes the need to meet current and future challenges with efficiency, water management and “loosening the reins” to involve the younger generation.

Succession planning protects the family operation before crisis forces decisions no one is ready to make.

By the time the corn silage is covered and the last acres of sunflowers are combined, the pace at Feikema Farms hardly slows. Located in Rock County in southwest Minnesota, the operation feeds roughly 4,000 head of cattle while cropping nearly 6,000 acres, a scale that reflects decades of steady growth and careful decision-making.

A Wyoming family uses clarity, communication and business discipline to build a ranch the next generation wants to come back to.

With the third and fourth generations at the helm today, Wittman Farms is as committed to the vision of stewardship and intentional business management as ever.

New federal estate and gift tax limits for 2026 are set, making this a good time to revisit your long‑term transition plan.

The time is now to start thinking about and taking actions toward succession planning. You're not giving in, you're preserving your legacy.