International Farm Transition Network 2024 Annual Professional Development Conference
June 5-6, 2024
Richmond, Virginia
We hope you will join us in Virginia’s capital, Richmond, for two days of networking and learning about Intergenerational Considerations for Farm Transitions. Please see the conference details below.
Registration Information
Airport: Richmond International Airport
Hotel: Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center (1000 Virginia Center Parkway Glen Allen, VA 23059)
*Please ONLY make hotel reservations by clicking button above
Keynote Speaker
Robert ‘Andrew’ Branan, Associate Extension Professor, Agricultural & Resource Economics Department, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, North Carolina State University, USA
Robert “Andrew” Branan serves as Associate Extension Professor with the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University. He is a lawyer who concentrates in agriculture, real property, and natural resource law, with a focus on farm and land succession. He has managed a solo law practice that has served farmers, landowners and food entrepreneurs across North Carolina and Virginia on matters of business planning and management and asset transfer. He has also served as legal counsel to various food distribution and processing companies that create production opportunities for farmers. He has a particular interest in counseling new and beginning farmers and inheritors of farmland, authoring the workbook Planning the Future of Your Farm for farm owners and Getting Started in Farming workbook for beginning farmers. Andrew graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia and Wake Forest University Law School, and lives with his family just north of Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Agenda-at-a-Glance
Subject to change. All times Eastern Daylight Time.
| Wednesday, June 5, 2024 10:00 am – 7:45 pm |
||
| 10:00 a.m. | Welcome, Housekeeping — Heather Gessner | |
| 10:30 a.m. |
Keynote Speaker: Observations from Two Decades in Farm Succession Education and Practice – Andrew Branan, Associate Extension Professor, North Carolina State University |
|
| Noon | Lunch | |
| 1:00 p.m. | Depart for an on-farm Conversation with a Transition Family | |
| 2:00 p.m. |
Conversation with a Transition Family – We will travel to a Kelona Farm, a local multigenerational diversified farm with row crops (corn, soybeans, sunflowers), poultry breeding, beef, and value-added sunflower oil. We will learn how the family navigated through multiple transitions, expanding operations to accommodate more family members. We will find out the challenges they faced, the options they considered, and the resources they used during their transition.
|
|
| 3:30 p.m. | Break | |
| 4:00 p.m. | Panel Discussion – Additional Farm Transition Conversations – Additional farms from the area will discuss through a farmer panel how their succession planning has ebbed and flowed. | |
| 5:30 p.m. | Dinner | |
| 7:00 p.m. | Depart for hotel | |
| 7:45 p.m. | Networking (optional) | |
| Thursday, June 6, 2024 8:30 am – 3:00 pm |
|
| 8:30 a.m. | General Session: International FARMTRANSFERS Project – Comparing and Contrasting Intergenerational Farm Transition across Continents and Cultures, Dr Shane Conway, European Projects Manager at Teagasc, Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority & Co-Director of the International FARMTRANSFERS Project |
| 9:30 a.m. |
Breakout Sessions
|
| 10:30 a.m. | Break |
| 11:00 a.m. | Membership Meeting |
| Noon | Lunch |
| 1:00 p.m. |
Breakout Sessions
|
| 2:00 p.m. | General Session: Medicaid & 5 Year Lookback – Darlene Livingston, Executive Director of PA FarmLink & Donna Truesdell, RN, MS |
| 3:00 p.m. | Wrap-up & Adjourn |
Speakers
Dr Shane Conway, European Projects Manager at Teagasc, Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority & Co-Director of the International FARMTRANSFERS Project
SAMUEL DAVIS III – Principal, The Davis Group
As Principal in The Davis Group, Sam Davis brings extensive succession planning experience to the service of family businesses, nonprofit organizations and foundations. Having served as an advisor to family businesses, family offices, nonprofits and foundations for more than two decades, Sam is recognized for his capabilities in addressing issues experienced by family enterprises and nonprofit organizations, including: leadership and ownership succession; strategic management; governance; and executive search.
Raised in a third-generation family business, Sam was designated a Fellow in the Family Firm Institute in 2006 based on his experience and demonstrated capabilities in addressing the intersection of family dynamics and business issues. He brings clients a wealth of succession planning, executive search, governance, strategic planning and governance experience. Over the years, Sam’s clients have included a balance of family enterprises, nonprofits and foundations.
Prior to forming The Davis Group, Sam was a partner in Relative Solutions, a family enterprise consulting practice, and Signature Financial Management, a multi-family office located in Norfolk, Virginia. Earlier, he enjoyed a successful business career as a senior executive in the real estate development and manufacturing industries, including serving as a Plant Manager for Philip Morris USA. Sam served as an Adjunct Faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Business for almost 10 years, teaching Strategic Management and Organizational Behavior, and he served as Interim Director of VCU’s Family Business Forum for 2 years.
Sam earned an MBA in Finance at The Wharton School of Business and graduated from The Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts with an MTS in Ethics and Theology. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis where he received his BS degree in Naval Engineering. He served as a Trustee of Saint Paul’s College and on the boards of 15 nonprofit organizations. Sam and his wife Susan live in Richmond, Virginia where Susan recently retired as Senior Vice President at The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia.
Darlene Livingston has served as the Executive Director of PA Farm Link for 15 years. Leading the organization’s farm succession education and facilitation services, and developing next level farm succession programming. Darlene has been instrumental in bringing the importance of farm succession to the forefront of the ag industry in Pennsylvania.
Darlene oversees continued education programs for ag professionals; and Farm Link’s online learning academy for farmers, along with many digital and print resources. She assists with farmer and land databases, and beginning farmer programs as well.
Born and raised on a diversified farm, Darlene has a lifetime of farm experience working with three generations on the farm. Her family currently owns and operates Mahoning Creek Farm a Pennsylvania Preserved century farm.
Donna Truesdell RN, MS
Donna is a registered nurse and licensed independent health insurance and Medicare broker in Pennsylvania. She has also been involved in farming for more than 30 years. Donna has been involved in case management of health care needs in various settings and has supported financial planners with client strategic planning. Currently Donna assists families with planning for, understanding the options, and arranging for long term care needs of family members.
Previously Donna was an administrator in two Massachusetts hospitals where she presented and published in the field of healthcare quality.
Interested in Sponsoring?
We hope you will consider promoting this conference and partner as a sponsor to increase resource awareness and support for agriculture professionals that serve our farmers and producers across the United States and beyond.
Thank you in advance for the consideration. We hope to see you in June!
*A follow-up registration link will be shared with confirmed sponsors to specify attendees
*Deadline to receive the above items is May 15, 2024. Please signify your intent to sponsor at button above or scan QR code above.