Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative hosted its fall Agribusiness Seminar Oct. 29 at the Carroll County Agriculture-Education Center. The bi-annual seminar is known for bringing together individuals and groups in the agricultural community from the cooperative’s seven-county footprint and across the state. Area farmers, National FFA Organization students, association representatives, business leaders and elected officials were represented and in attendance at the fall seminar. This seminar featured Suzanna Denison as the keynote speaker as well as a panel that spoke on the importance of planning the future of your farm.
Denison is the Program Manager for the American Farmland Trust and is a passionate advocate for farmland access and preservation. Her presentation focused on the value of farm succession planning and how to plan for the future. “What succession planning is all about is insuring financial security, setting the stage for retirement for the future of the farm and that translates to peace of mind,” said Denison.
“You have to choose the right tools that will help you achieve that smooth and successful transfer. A panel discussion followed the keynote presentation expanding on the theme of farm succession planning. Brian Kent, County Engineer for Carroll County Community Development, Colton Caldwell, attorney for Caldwell Law P.C., Randy Nichols, CPA from Macon, GA and Emmett Harrod, Carroll EMC Board Director and Retired Probate Judge made up the panel along with Denison. The panel gave their expertise along with answering questions focusing on dealing with
tricky family matters.
“The most important part in succession planning is communication,” said Nichols. “Communication is the single biggest thing to successful succession planning and successful family relations.”
