Returning to the Farm Workshop for Families in Transition is March 8, 9 in Kearney

Jan 04, 2024

he Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will present Returning to the Farm, a workshop series for families who are in the transition process of bringing members back to the farm or ranch. It will begin with a two-day workshop in Kearney for multi-generational families on March 8 and 9 at the office of Nebraska Extension in Buffalo County, 1400 E 34th St.

The series, which is rescheduled from December 2023, assists families and agricultural operations with developing financial plans and successful working arrangements to meet their unique needs. It will guide families in developing estate and transition plans, setting personal and professional goals and improving the communication process between family members.

“Returning to the Farm gives families the tools and resources to have a successful transition with more family joining the business,” said extension educator Jessica Groskopf. “We really want to have two or three generations come to this together and take that time, as a family, to sit down, learn together and start these important processes.”

Presenters will include extension experts as well as agribusiness and legal professionals. During the program, participants will:

Learn communication strategies
Set both personal and professional goals
Develop a farm or ranch transition plan
Identify estate planning issues and develop effective strategies for planning
Review financial feasibility and financial tools

The workshop fee is $75 per person on or before March 1. March 2, the fee increases to $85 per person. Registration includes dinner on March 8 and lunch on March 9. It also includes two follow-up workshops, to be held virtually. Hotel accommodations are not included.

Registration may be completed online at https://cap.unl.edu/rtf24. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number FSA22CPT0012189.

Source : unl.edu

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.