FOR FARMING FAMILIES

How do you start the succession conversation with your parents?

Instead of asking your parents to plan, you can plan for them.

Not behind their backs. For them. With love, and with so much thought they can't dismiss it.

The guide calls it the kids' plan. It's for children who want to drive the conversation.

How to build the kids' plan

Start with love, not logistics. Open with why you're doing this. Because you love them and the farm, not because you want something.

Acknowledge what they've built. Name the specific things. The paddock they cleared, the shed they built, the drought they survived.

Show you understand the options. Briefly outline the pathways. Show there's more than sell or hand it over.

Present your vision for them and the farm. "Dad, you could stay in the house, and someone else could do the heavy work. Mum, you could finally do that trip."

Ask for a conversation, not a decision. "We'd love to sit down and talk through what you want."

Suggest a neutral guide. "There's a team that helps families work through this. Would you be open to a conversation with them?"

If you'd like to farm it yourself, build your own farm pitch alongside it, so your parents can see what you'd do.

A letter to go with it

Dear Mum and Dad,

We've been thinking about the farm and about you. Not because we want anything, but because we love you and we love this place and we want to make sure it has the future it deserves.

We know this isn't easy. We're not trying to push you. But we've done some research, and found options we hadn't known about. Options where you stay on the farm, keep your income, and know the land is in good hands.

We've put together some thoughts. It's not a plan. It's a conversation starter. We'd love to sit down whenever you're ready.

No pressure. No rush. Just us, wanting the best for you and for this place.

With love, (your names)

When the kids drove it

Take a farming couple in western Victoria. The father, in his seventies, won't discuss succession. Their children decide to use this approach.

They build a proposal. It acknowledges their parents' work, outlines the options, and sets out a vision where their father can stay and the farm can thrive.

They present it over Sunday dinner. Their father is quiet, then says: "You've done more thinking about this than I have in twenty years."

In time, the family agrees a plan. They're closer than they've been in years.

This is an illustration, not a real family. It's put together from situations we see across many farming families.

Your next step

Write the plan, then the letter, and let them choose the time to talk.

If you're the parent who's just been handed a plan like this, remember your children did it because they love you. Read their plan. Then sit down with them.

The full guide, The Cultivate Farms Succession Guide, is free at cultivatefarms.com/resources.

You can build your own plan at cultivatefarms.com/plan.