AgHires founder and owner Lori Culler receives a couple of requests each year to help find a successor. And that demand is becoming more and more prevalent. The next generation may not always be interested in continuing the family farm, leaving many family farms without a successor.
Recently Culler was interviewed by Family Farm Succession to discuss her experiences with helping farms find successors.
“That’s what we’re seeing, where the next generation maybe isn’t interested in that farming operation, but that farmer or business wants to see it continue on. They don’t want to just sell it off, they have a passion to see it continue,” Culler says.
There are many candidates looking for ownership opportunities and are not sure where to look. AgHires works to match great candidates with these farms. Culler tries to match the leadership style, management style, and customer interaction with the owner and candidate to ensure a good fit.
“You can have someone with a great looking resume but if they don’t match on leadership style, or how to manage employees, their take on customers and their customer interaction, if that’s not in alignment and a fit, the successorship won’t work for either side,” Culler says. “We’re very selective with our submissions, and with a successor, you really just can’t get it wrong.”
In the end, it is up to the owner to decide what they want out of the transition of the farm. Do they want to stay active in the farm? Or do they plan to have a deadline to complete the handoff? Being prepared with a wish list will help make the transition smoother and give the candidate some expectations.
Read more about how to plan ahead, the benefits and challenges of finding a successor from Family Farm Succession.
To get more tips and resources, check out the AgHires Hiring Advice page at AgHires.com!
Written by: Lori Culler, AgHires Founder/Owner
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