b'Successful Succession Planning Takes Time, Communication and WorkIn addition to legal documents, soft skills are critical to passing down farm legacies.BY: SONJA BEGEMANNHTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=S-B4WUHZRKYTHE HARD WORK growers put into their operations yearof attorney gives someone else the ability to act on our behalf if after year is at risknot because of unavoidable disasters causedwere unable to do sosuch as in the case of an accident.by Mother Natureinstead by something altogether avoidable.Once these are completedupdates will need to be made Many growers work in dangerous conditions day-in and day-outevery three to five yearsits time to start the hard conversations.without planning for their or their familys future.Legacy planning is a critical step every farm needs to take toStart the Conversations about Transitionsensure the hard work put in the farm doesnt go to waste due toOnce families are legally covered for the unexpected, its time to poor preparation. And it isnt just senior adults who need to plansit down to figure out expectations from all stakeholders.for farm transitionstragedy can strike at any age. People love to jump to the legal agreements and the documentation first and those technical issues are important, First Complete a Couple Legal Forms says Brent VanParys family enterprise advisor and consultant at Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. From a paperworkBDO Canada LLP. But theres a lot of groundwork to do before perspective, there are a couple documents everyone should have. you get to that point, and it centers around alignment. Do we Power of attorney (POA) and willsthe two basic coveragesagree on what were doing? On our challenges?people needare not age sensitive, says John Stewart, attorneyThe whole family should be involved in this conversation in Winnipeg, Man-based DAarcy & Deacon LLP who handles even the ones who have expressed they dont desire to be agricultural business law. Once were over the age of 18, a powerinvolved in the operations day-to-day activities. While they 32SPUDSMART.COM Spring 2022'