Farm and Ranch Succession and Estate Planning

Your Guide to Farm & Ranch Transition

Plan Today. Secure Tomorrow.

arm Family by Combine


LATEST RESOURCES

 

Transition planning is about more than paperwork. I’s about families, communication, and the future of Nebraska agriculture.

Whether you’re just starting or rethinking an existing plan, these resources from the Center for Agricultural Profitability and Nebraska Extension will help you navigate legal, financial, and family considerations for a successful transition.

Nebraska Land Link

Matching Land Seekers with Landowners

Nebraska Land Link connects retiring landowners with aspiring and beginning farmers to create successful succession matches. The program helps preserve family legacies, keep land in agriculture, and support the next generation of producers. Learn more and apply!

Land Link Program
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Programs and Incentives for Producers and Landowners

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

Producers and landowners can leverage federal, state, and nonprofit programs for loans, tax incentives, and conservation cost-share. This list is a starting point and will be updated as new opportunities are identified.

Explore Programs
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Succession Planning Without a Family Heir

A Practical Guide

Not every farm or ranch has a family successor in place. This guides explores practical steps — from legal agreements to selling assets and building advisory team — to help producers plan for the future of their operations even without an heir.

Read the Guide
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Questions? 


All four of the Center for Agricultural Profitability's regional extension educators across Nebraska are trained and certified in farm and ranch transition education. Click below to find contact information for the educator in your region.

Contact an Extension Educator

Transition and Succession

Geting Started

Every successful transition begins with a first step. These resources give you a starting point to understand the basics of succession planning, explore Nebraska Land Link, and see simple strategies that can help you begin or revisit your farm or ranch’s future plan.

Photo of two generations of farmers standing in a field with a combine in the background.

Articles and Podcasts

Farm Succession Planning: Simple Steps
Article (April 8, 2022)

  • This article lays out seven straightforward steps to help farmers and ranchers begin or update a succession plan, from taking inventory of assets to involving family, choosing the right legal tools, and keeping the plan current over time.

Are You a Farmer or Rancher Over 18? It's Time for an Estate Plan
(Sept. 27, 2023)

  • This article stresses the importance of estate planning for every farmer and rancher over 18, outlining why starting early is essential to protect assets and family wishes.

Keys to Successful Farm Transition Planning
Article (July 14, 2021)

  • This article explains the key steps to a successful farm or ranch transition, covering family communication, management transfer, asset distribution, retirement needs, and contingency planning to guide families at any stage of the process.

Nebraska Land Link: Connecting Land Seekers and Landowners
Learn about the Land Link program

  • Nebraska Land Link connects beginning farmers and ranchers with retiring landowners, offering matches based on shared values and goals while providing education on transfers, leasing, and communication, whether you’re looking for land to start farming or a successor to carry on your operation

Video

Now That You've Inherited a Farm ...
(July 24, 2025 webinar recording)

  • This webinar helps non-farming landowners understand the steps and responsibilities of inheriting Nebraska farmland—from transferring title to leasing, taxes, and risk — making it valuable whether you’re just getting started or looking to better manage your land.

Succession Planning Without a Family Heir
(July 18, 2025)

  • This webinar outlines key steps for succession planning when no family heir is returning, including setting goals, essential documents, and building the right advisory team.

Transition Planning: Ensuring Success on the Family Farm and Ranch
(August 24, 2023 webinar recording)

  • This webinar shows how succession planning can protect land, family, and legacy, offering guidance on early transition decisions, family dynamics, and tax consequences, whether you’re just starting to plan or ready to refine your existing strategy.

Farm and Ranch Succession and Transition Planning Workshop
(March 2, 2023)

  • This full-length virtual workshop was streamed to Stapleton, Nebraska in 2023 by Alan Vyhnalek, a now-retired extension educator. This workshop focused on the importance of estate and succession planning for farm and ranch families, covering topics such as end-of-life documents, power of attorney, wills and trusts, family communication, fair versus equal inheritance, planning for on-farm heirs, tax implications, and strategies for transitioning management, assets, and land to the next generation.

Producer Perspectives: Farm and Ranch Transition and Succession
(February 9, 2023 webinar recording)

  • Hear firsthand how two Nebraska farm families are navigating succession — one transitioning to neighbors and another balancing three active generations — offering real-world lessons for anyone beginning or advancing their own planning process.

Ag Succession Planning: Current Thoughs and Lessons Learned
(March 10, 2022 webinar recording)

  • Allan Vyhnalek, a now-retired extension educator, shares insights from 40+ years of experience helping farm and ranch families improve communication, avoid common missteps, and take practical steps toward successful succession planning.

Transition and Succession

Legal Tools & Structures

From wills and trusts to LLCs and buy-sell agreements, legal tools provide the foundation for a smooth transition. These resources explain the options, highlight common pitfalls, and help you choose the right structure for your farm or ranch.

Photo of farm family doing bookwork.

Articles and Podcasts

Navigating Farm Succession Without a Family Heir: Everyone Needs These Documents
(June 27, 2025)

  • Details the essential legal documents needed to ensure a clear and workable transition when no family heir is involved.

Navigating Farm Succession Without a Family Heir: Advisory Team
(June 10, 2025)

  • Explains how assembling the right advisory team of lawyers, accountants, and other professionals supports succession planning.

Ideas for Estate and Transition Planning: Life Insurance Backed Buy-Sell Agreement
(Aug. 23, 2024)

  • This article outlines how a life insurance–backed buy-sell agreement can provide liquidity for farm succession, ensuring heirs or partners can purchase the operation without forcing asset sales.

Ideas for Estate and Transition Planning: Life Insurance
(Aug. 23, 2024)

  • This article highlights how life insurance can support estate and transition planning by providing liquidity, covering debts, and protecting the farm or ranch’s future.

Ideas for Estate and Transition Planning: Life Insurance Inheritance Equalization
(Aug. 23, 2024)

  • This article explains how life insurance can be used to equalize inheritances in farm and ranch succession, providing fairness among heirs when land or assets can’t be divided evenly.

Ideas for Estate and Transition Planning: Gifting Ownership
(July 23, 2024)

  • This article explains how gifting ownership interests can be used in farm and ranch transition planning to gradually transfer assets, manage taxes, and involve the next generation.

Ideas for Estate and Transition Planning: Gift Leaseback
(May 8, 2024)

  • This article explains how a gift leaseback can be used as an estate and transition planning tool, allowing parents to transfer assets while retaining income and management stability.

Ideas for Estate and Transition Planning: Gifting
(April 9, 2024)

  • This article discusses how gifting assets during life can be part of an estate and transition plan, helping reduce estate size while transferring wealth to the next generation.

What Happens to Your Farm or Ranch If You Become Disabled?
(Dec. 11, 2023)

  • Estate and transition planning often focuses on what happens at the death of a key person. However, a good estate and transition plan should also include contingencies for disability.

2021 Federal Estate and Transfer Tax Law Proposals
(Aug. 24, 2021)

  • Summarizes proposed federal estate and transfer tax changes and what they could mean for Nebraska farm families.

Nebraska’s Estate Plan for Your Farm
(June 23, 2020)

  • Explains Nebraska’s statutory estate process and what happens if farm families don’t have their own plan in place.

Advanced Health Care Directives in Nebraska: Health Power of Attorney and Living Wills
(May 19, 2023)

  • Two key healthcare documents in Nebraska — powers of attorney and living wills — ensure medical decisions reflect your wishes if you become unable to speak for yourself.

Business Powers of Attorney for Nebraska Farm and Ranch Business Owners
(May 18, 2020)

  • Business powers of attorney can authorize trusted individuals to handle financial and legal matters, helping Nebraska farm and ranch owners protect their operations during incapacity or transition.

Preparing for Farm and Ranch Succession: How You Select a Lawyer
(Apr. 24, 2020)

  • Provides tips on how to choose a lawyer who understands farm succession and can guide families through legal complexities.

Video

Succession Planning Beyond Family: Gifting Land and Legacy
(Aug. 28, 2025)

  • This webinar focuses on succession planning without a family heir, exploring strategies for gifting land or assets to non-family members and charitable organizations.

Estate vs. Succession Planning
(Feb. 6, 2025)

  • This webinar explains the difference between estate planning and succession planning, outlining key considerations to protect both assets and the future of the operation.

Estate Planning: A Look at Healthcare
(Sept. 8, 2022)

  • This webinar reviews healthcare-focused estate planning tools such as powers of attorney and advance medical directives to ensure your wishes are respected if you cannot speak for yourself.

Your Farm or Ranch: Estate? Succession? Legacy?
(Aug. 19, 2021)

  • This webinar addresses key issues and structures in planning the transition to the next generation, including inheritance vs. legacy, the pillars of a lasting legacy, and how to navigate family discussions around succession and estate planning

Transition and Succession

Finance & Taxes

Strong transition plans balance both family goals and financial realities. These resources explain key tax rules, retirement impacts, and strategies like life insurance that help farm and ranch families protect assets, manage risk, and keep operations viable for the next generation.

Woman Farmer Works on Computer in Office

Articles and Podcasts

Navigating Farm Succession Without a Family Heir: Selling Assets During Life
(Aug. 2, 2025)

  • Explains the financial and legal tradeoffs of selling farm assets while living as part of a transition plan.

Ideas for Estate and Transition Planning: Life Insurance
(Aug. 23, 2024)

  • Shows how life insurance can provide financial security and flexibility in transition planning.

Ideas for Estate and Transition Planning: Life Insurance Inheritance Equalization
(Aug. 23, 2024)

  • Describes how life insurance can be used to equalize inheritances between farming and non-farming heirs.

Ideas for Estate and Transition Planning: Life Insurance Backed Buy-Sell Agreement
(Aug. 23, 2024)

  • Outlines how buy-sell agreements funded by life insurance can support smooth ownership transitions.

Estate Planning: Stepped-Up Tax Basis
(Aug. 1, 2024)

  • Explains how the stepped-up basis rule impacts farm assets and inheritance taxes.

Nebraska Inheritance Tax Update
(March 8, 2022)

  • This article explains recent changes to Nebraska’s inheritance tax laws, outlining who is affected and what farm and ranch families should consider in their estate and succession planning.

Video

Beginning Conversations About Finances
(April 13, 2023)

  • Webinar highlighting key financial conversations for succession, questions to guide owners and heirs, and the advisory team and documents needed for a smooth transition.

Getting Your Start on the Farm or Ranch with USDA Farm Service Agency
(Feb. 17, 2022)

  • This webinar introduces USDA Farm Service Agency loan programs for beginning farmers and ranchers, including direct, guaranteed, and down payment loans designed to expand access to credit.

Transition and Succession

Family & Communication

Open conversations are the backbone of successful transitions. These resources focus on family meetings, communication strategies, and ways to bridge generational perspectives so farm and ranch families can make decisions together with clarity and trust.

Farmers talking outside of tractor in the field.

Articles and Podcasts

Navigating Farm Succession Without a Family Heir: The Question
(May 27, 2025)

  • Encourages families to ask tough questions early to set the stage for honest conversations about succession.

Balancing Old Wisdom with New Ideas on the Farm
(Mar. 18, 2025)

  • Looks at how families can balance tradition with innovation to keep communication strong across generations.

How To Communicate Your Estate Plan to Family When Dividing Assets Unequally
(Oct. 8, 2024)

  • Provides guidance on explaining unequal inheritance decisions clearly to avoid family conflict.

Without Trust, How Does a Family Function?
(July 7, 2022)

  • Discusses the role of trust in family relationships and its importance in farm succession planning.

Assumptions Parents Make with Estate Plans
(Apr. 22, 2020)

  • Identifies common mistaken assumptions in estate plans that can create disputes or unintended outcomes for families.

Family Goals and Difficult Times
(Jan. 24, 2021)

  • Encourages families to set goals together and revisit them during challenging times.

Video

Farm Transitions and Sweat Equity
(Dec. 12, 2024)

  • This webinar examines how sweat equity can be used in farm succession planning, with strategies for balancing fair vs. equal treatment of heirs and managing risk and opportunity during the transition.

Managing Family Members on the Farm
(Aug. 29, 2025)

  • This webinar explores how to manage family members on the farm by clarifying roles, improving communication, balancing family and business needs, and resolving conflict to support both relationships and succession success.

Family Business Relationships
(Aug. 22, 2024)

  • This webinar for Nebraska Land Link participants focuses on managing family and business relationships, with strategies for conflict resolution and productive communication. 

Family Harmony Through Transition Planning
(Oct. 26, 2023)

  • The webinar dives into communication strategies and best practices to help farm and ranch families build transition plans that preserve both the operation and family relationships.

 

Transition and Succession

Land & Leasing

Land is often the most valuable part of a farm or ranch, and how it’s leased or transferred plays a critical role in succession. These resources cover lease structures, cash rent considerations, and strategies to ensure land agreements support both current owners and the next generation.

Cattle grazing in corn field.

Articles and Podcasts

Navigating Farm Succession Without a Family Heir: Right of First Offer/Refusal
(July 22, 2025)

  • Outlines how preemptive rights like right of first refusal or first offer work to give preferred successors priority.

Navigating Farm Succession Without a Family Heir: Option-to-Buy Agreements
(July 17, 2025)

  • Describes how option-to-buy agreements can be used to transfer farm assets to a chosen successor outside the family.

Navigating Farm Succession Without a Family Heir: Leasing Land to Non-Related Parties
(July 9, 2025)

  • Explores how to structure leases with non-family tenants to protect owners and ensure continuity in farm succession.

Verbal Leases: What Happens if Someone Dies?
(Jan. 15, 2025)

  • Verbal lease agreements are common in Nebraska agriculture, but they can create uncertainty when a landlord passes away.

Setting Expectations for a Land Link Relationship
(July 21, 2021)

  • Provides guidance for landowners and seekers on setting clear expectations when connecting through Nebraska Land Link.

Video

Ag Land Management Quarterly Webinars

  • Ag Land Management Quarterly webinars are held on the third Monday of February, May, August, and November. They offer the latest updates in land management topics as well as transition/estate planning and leasing updates. Register for upcoming webinars or find recordings of past presentations at the link above.

So You've Inherited a Farm ... Now What?
(Sept. 1, 2022)

  • This full-length workshop, geared toward new landowners who may have inherited farmland, was presented Sept. 1, 2022, in Ashland, Nebraska. Many numbers for things like cash rents and land values are not updated (find current ones here) but much of the information covered is still valuable in giving an idea of what is presented at longer in-person workshops. That includes information related to farm management, leasing, legal considerations, communicating with family, and creating or adjusting estate plans. 

Transition and Succession

Emotion & Human Dynamics

Succession planning isn’t just about legal documents or finances. It’s also about people. These resources address the emotional side of transition, from coping with change and grief to navigating identity, trust, and family conflict.

Farmer and wife in combine cab.

Articles and Podcasts

Navigating Farm Succession Without a Family Heir: 7 Common Concerns
(July 2, 2025)

  • Highlights common emotional challenges when no family heir is present and offers strategies to cope with uncertainty.

Navigating Farm Succession Without a Family Heir: Embracing Change and Coping with Loss
(May 19, 2025)

  • Explores how families can process grief and change when facing succession without a family heir.

Recognizing Power and Control in Estate Planning
(Feb. 23, 2023)

  • Discusses the emotional impact of control dynamics in estate planning and their effect on family relationships.

 

Videos

Can We Be Sorry? Navigating Disagreements on the Farm
(Apr. 27, 2021)

  • Shares approaches for resolving emotional conflicts and maintaining family relationships during farm succession.

How Emotions Affect Farm and Ranch Succession
(Oct. 19, 2019)

  • Explains the role emotions play in decision-making and family communication during transitions.

Land Transition Can Lead to Unintended Consequences
(Mar. 6, 2019)

  • Looks at how land transfer decisions can have unintended emotional impacts on families and heirs.

Programs and Incentives for Producers and Landowners

In addition to transition and succession planning, producers and landowners can leverage federal, state, and nonprofit programs for loans, tax incentives, and conservation cost-share. This list is a starting point and will be updated as new opportunities are identified.

Beginning Farmer Resources

Other Tax Incentives & Development

Conservation & Cost-Share Programs

Additional Loan Programs

Program Directories & Search Tools

Upcoming Events