a
Transferring a family
farm from one generation to
another is not as simple as
waiting for the older
generation to retire or die.
Farming is a complicated
business that requires skill,
understanding, dedication,
and experience. And in most
farming situations, that
develops through a father
son arrangement.
That’s been a tradition in
agriculture for many
generations as *farms are
passed from one generation
m the next with at least one
son or son-in-law always
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Kirloskar has to offer more.
Which means, for starters,
world class engines built to sur
pass SAE standards. Quality
control you wouldn’t believe. If it
isn’t faultless it doesn’t get offer
ed for sale.
And it means an extensive
network of parts, service centers
and enough trained mechanics
to keep you operational with
the best of them. Write for the list,
it’s free.
TA-2
AIRCOOLED
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being available to take over
the farming operation.
There are farms here m the
mid-Atlantic area that have
been in the same family for
more than 200 years.
If this method for passing
the farm from one
generation to another has
been going on so long, you’d
think it would be working
pretty well. Maybe in most
situations it is. But recently
some farmers have been
speaking up about their
dissatisfaction with the plan,
or lack of plan, for handing
UN
over the farm respon
sibilltes.
It’s kind of like going
against motherhood to say
anything about father-son
farming arrangements. It’s
part of the American way of
life, and for many farmers
it’s their great dream to
develop a working farm and
have a son grow up as part of
that farm, work into the
business and then take it
over when the father decides
it’s time to retire.
Sounds like a good idea,
but some farmers are
realizing that at least in
today’s complicated farming
operations, the old ways
may leave something
lacking. And so they’re
speaking out for better
arrangements.
A young man who grows
up on a farm and wants to
farm is usually encouraged
by his father to become part
of the business. He’s given
some livestock at a young
age to take care of, or
perhaps a piece of ground is
turned over to him. Then as
he proves himself, Pop may
expand the business by
■she
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"Dealer Inquiries Invited"
KIRLOSKAR, INC.
Western Hemisphere Office 1401 Cherry Hill Road Baltimore Maryland 21225
Telephone (301)354-1866 Telex Powerhouse 87-525
adding some acres or taking
on a new enterprise so there
will be enough work for
everyone and a decent living
for all concerned.
By the tune this youngster
reaches manhood there’s an
agreement, written or
othewise, as how the work
will be handled, who pays
the bills, who shares what
expenses, and how future
plans will be made. By the
time Pop is ready to retire,
the next generation is well
established and ready to get
on with the business of
running the farm.
That’s the ideal situation.
But now some farmers are
saying that what they wind
up with is not just that.
Young farmers tell of
promises that are not kept,
of working for years at very
low wages, and then being
expected to buy out the
parents at full value when
they reach retirement.
Other farmers tell of the
difficulty of getting along
with parents; or looking at it
another way, the problem
the parents face when the
young farmer wants to move
DIESEL
9
Kirloskar diesels are sold here
in sizes from 1.8 to 107 hp. For
information oh the complete line
contact Kirloskar Inc., 1401
Cherry Hill Rd., Baltimore, MD
21225. (301) 354-1866. Telex;
Powerhouse 87-525.
And because obviously we
can’t do justice to it here, ask
about pricing. Kirloskar. Over
engineered, underpriced, and a
terrific bargain.
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AIRCOOLED
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Lmcaster Farming, Saturday, March 15,1980—D15
ahead too fast and take what
seem to be unwarranted
risks.
Few of us are given the
opportunity to choose our
relatives and certainly this
apphes to sons or daughters
who might become farming
partners.
Why should a young man
become a good working
partner simply because he
was raised on that farm?
Maybe it’s expecting a lot
for him to spend a large
chunk of his life as his
father’s helper and then
have to buy him out at
retirement time.
Likewise, it may be ex
pecting a lot for a father to
give away the business he
spent a lifetime developing
just because he’s 50 years
old. It may be equally dif
ficult for Pop to share
decision making, or turn
over an important enterprise
to a son that he still thinks of
as being a boy.
Then the problem is
complicated by a young
farmer’s wife who is sud
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LIQUID COOLED
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denly brought into the
business and who is not
blinded to the false hopes
and inequities. She must suit
her husband, her husband’s
parents, and maybe even
other brothers and sisters
and still try to be herself.
She must raise her
children the way her mother
in-law would, while at the
same time being a farmhand
for her husband, a
bookkeeper for the family
business, and a
spokesperson in community
activities. Not an easy task.
It’s a miracle to me that so
many father-son farming
operations work. It says a lot
about the integrity and
character of farmers. And
the fact that some farmers,
both farmers and sons, are
talking about problems is not
altogether bad. To me it
means there are some
inequities that need to be
rectified, and the place to
start is through discussion.
The next step is probably
some kind of written
agreement between all
parties involved so that it’s
clear what is expected.
Not many people would
enter a business partnership
without written guidelines,
and perhaps farmers are
expecting too much when
they develop a father-son
farming operation on faith,
promises, and expectations.
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