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  • From: KAKerby AT aol.com
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] sobering but possibly stereotypical article?
  • Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:15:29 -0500 (EST)

Good morning, everyone, and I hope that we're all doing well this holiday week.  I saw this article in Yahoo news today, and was both concerned by this trend, and annoyed by some of the assumptions made in the article:
 
 
It hits particularly close to home because as some of you know, we've been in a slow motion dance here to possibly buy and/or take over a relatively large farm here after renting land on it for several years.  The older farm couple and their extended family are exactly what is described in this article.  We don't really feel like we're ready to take the reins, so to speak.  But the head of that household is mid-80's in age and already each year is whispered about as "maybe his last".  I find myself wondering if we should at least start those conversations in earnest so that family knows that we're at least interested.  It would break my heart to have them summarily sell out to investors while the money is good, while we were getting our ducks in a row. 
 
I'd just be curious if other folks on this list have either gone through a relatively large farmland ownership transition between families, or are preparing to do so.  I know there's programs out there to smooth the path, but again I'm not sure if perhaps it's premature to start those conversations now.  Any comments?
Kathryn Kerby
frogchorusfarm.com
Snohomish, WA
Ruminations - essays on the farming life at frogchorusfarm.com/weblog.html



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