Dave Baker (left) describes himself as an "optimist." As the Farm Transition Specialist for ISU Extension's Beginning Farmer Center, he says that recent interest in the local foods movement is just one sign that there are more opportunities available for young people interested in agriculture in Iowa.

Baker's role is to help facilitate the transfer of farming operations from a generation looking toward retirement, to new farmers eager to be in business for themselves. He hosts regular workshops around the state teaching farmers a sensible approach to succession. He visits and collaborates with a wide range of businesses and organizations that have a stake in these transfers. And sometimes Baker acts as a mediator and personal sounding post, as retiring farmers struggle with the sensitive process of transferring over a life's work to a new generation.

"This is economic development at its most basic form," says Baker. He's keenly aware of how critical a role the effective transfer of family farming operations plays in the ability of rural communities to thrive.

"These are businesses and if they aren't transferred, then they’re liquidated. Smaller farms are generally swallowed by mega farms, which is something I'm opposed to," he says.

At the bottom line, Baker says that farm businesses in these rural communities are crucial to economic vitality because they support and promote other small businesses. Not only are farmers business owners themselves, but they’re also more likely to shop in local stores, enabling other businesses to thrive. Young farmers and their families also add an important demographic to rural communities that are rapidly losing working-age individuals to larger metropolitan areas. So the stakes to Baker, in his quest to inject new vitality into rural communities, are pretty high.

"I'm not going to debate the notion of bigger is better," he says. "But the number of small farms in a small community is really what creates strength. There must be room for both."

Possibilities and challenges in succession

What's "encouraging" to Baker is that he currently has 450 applications from young farmers who would like to apprentice with retiring farmer and eventually assume ownership of their operation.

A beginning farmer also doesn’t need to acquire all of the assets immediately to secure a loan to go into business, he adds, so the financial barriers aren't great. “What they really need is a good business plan. The financing options will fall into place with the proper succession plan,” he says.

The irony for Baker is that in spite of the number of applicants eager to go into business, only 25 current farmers have expressed interest in succession. "With thousands of farms in Iowa, there must be more farmers who should step forward," he says.

The transfer of property to an up-and-coming farmer from one nearing retirement makes sense to Baker - but he's also observed that giving up a lifetime of farming, for some, isn't so easy.

"I've talked to farmers wives who are so eager to see their husbands retire and do something fun like take a vacation, but many would just prefer to farm. The ability of a 75 to 80 year-old to still be in business today is possible. There is really a strong work ethic in that generation that makes it hard to quit," he says.

Health problems are sometimes the only thing that eventually pushes a farmer to retire. And for many at that point, putting a plan of succession into place for the next generation can be too late.

Greg Walston of Vinton, Iowa says his father passed away before they ever had a chance to talk about the succession of their family farm. "The issue is an emotional one for me," he says. "I wish my father would have communicated his wishes with me directly rather waiting until it was too late to have an effective conversation."

Walston recently took one of Baker's workshops to develop skills and a strategy to facilitate a smooth conversation with his mother, who still owns the property. "It will help us to talk about the options,” he says. “Working with someone like Dave is like working with a professional communicator. He can help us to be more neutral."

A practical approach to succession

Baker understands that the process of succession planning can be difficult for many longtime farmers, and that conversations with a potential successor or a family member don’t always come as first nature. His workshops are designed to be practical and straightforward. He talks about the obstacles and roadblocks that are potentials in the succession process, and the things that should simply be avoided.

"We teach people to focus on family values and the vision of the future. What are the tactics they'll use to transfer a farm to a successor in five to ten years? We want people to start planning ahead so that the process feels more natural," he says.

He’s facilitated a number of successful transfers in the past six years since he's been in this role. Baker has also done a lot of work to reach out to many potential audiences with a stake in farm succession and rural revitalization. He talks with bankers, insurers, and organizations working to promote family farms and sustainable agriculture in Iowa. He also recently developed a partnership with Lutheran Services in Iowa, working to place refugee farmers onto land where they can grow specialty crops that appeal to the state's growing international population.

Baker understands first-hand how meaningful it is when an experienced farmer is willing to work with someone learning the business. "I grew up as a town kid, but I knew that I always wanted to farm," he says.

He found work with a farmer who was willing to let him learn through trial and error, “day by day,” he says. Baker eventually purchased a farm in northwest Iowa where he raised his family, working a day job at the same time.

"My kids always remember how busy I was, but they also have great memories of birthing calves alongside me," he says.

Baker’s concerned that if more farmers don’t step forward and consider succession to a family member or an interested individual that this rural way of life may no longer be an option for young farm families. He’s also aware that economic vitality in small communities will continue to decline. Yet his optimism guides him forward as he sends the call out to farmers to consider the many positive personal and community-wide impacts of a planned retirement.

“We talk about the value of sustainable agriculture,” he says. “But sustainability also means that the next generation of farmers should have a lifestyle and community structure where they can build their future.”

Learn more at: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/bfc/.