Preserving Your Family’s Farming Legacy
You've spent your lifetime building your farm: growing the operation, acquiring land and equipment, navigating difficult markets, and creating something valuable for your family. But building a successful farm and preserving it for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren are two very different things.
Join Agribusiness Succession Advisor's (ASA's) Jeff DeWald and John Litscher as they explore strategies successful families can use to preserve their legacy. Understand how thoughtful planning can preserve farm assets, minimize the impact of estate taxes, reduce family conflict, provide equitable treatment for non-farming family members, and reduce the financial burden placed on each succeeding generation.
This "do not miss" discussion, will leave attendees with practical considerations for shifting the succession conversation from simply transferring the farm to building a structure designed to preserve it for future generations of your family.
Thursday, February 4
10:45am-11:30am
Cheboygan Room
About The Speakers
Jeffrey S. DeWald & John Litscher
Jeffrey S DeWald, CLUA®, ChFCA®, CBECA®, has spent the past 42 years working with successful farmers, growers and owners of Mid-Market businesses, advising them on business succession, retirement planning, estate planning and wealth management. Jeff began his career working for a business which needed to be sold to pay taxes when the majority shareholder died unexpectedly. That experience and the impact on the business' other shareholders and its employees gave Jeff a perspective on what can happen when business owners fail to plan for the future.
Jeff is a founding member of the Business Intelligence Institute, served as Director of Estate and Business Planning for Sagemark Consulting's Northern New England Region from 1992 through 1995, and has been retained by Morgan Stanley, UBS and the Fleet Private Clients Group to advise their farming, ranching, and business-owner clients on estate and transition planning.
Jeff holds the Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant designations from the American College and has earned the Certified Business Exit Consultant designation.
At Agribusiness Succession Advisors, John Litscher CFPA®, CRPCA®, AWMAA®, CRPSA®, specializes in comprehensive succession planning that transforms the uncertainties of generational transition into a clear path forward. His approach integrates succession, retirement, tax, investment, insurance, and estate planning into personalized strategies that help farm families leverage what they've built over decades while creating opportunities for the next generation.
Since starting his career in 2000, John has guided hundreds of families through life's most significant financial transitions with both genuine care and technical expertise. What distinguishes John's work with farm families is a deep appreciation for the unique dynamics of agricultural operations. "I understand that your farm is more than just a business; it's your heritage, your daily life, and your family's future. My expertise includes helping senior generation farmers considering transfer agreements, supporting junior generation farmers in defining their financial futures, and navigating the complexities that come with agricultural property."
When not spending time with his wife and two kids in Middleton, Wisconsin, or coaching his two middle schoolers in multiple sports, you'll find John enjoying Wisconsin's sports scene and exploring the world with family.
