How the COPs of Estate Planning Affect the Goals

Estate planning is considered complex and complicated by farmers and ranchers. While many components can be added to the plan, there are pieces of the plan that the farmer can do. These actions encourage the plan’s creation and save money by making the changes themselves. When professionals help their clients with the contracts, titles, and probate issues related to estate planning, they can empower them and instill confidence in the process.

Heather Gessner, the presenter for this training, has worked for SDSU Extension since 2001 and is currently the Livestock Business Management Field Specialist based in the Sioux Falls Regional Extension Center. She educates farmers and ranchers in enterprise analysis, livestock budgets, financial worksheet creation and analysis, grain and livestock marketing, and marketing plan creation. She also leads the SDSU Extension estate and succession planning and beginning farmer education teams. In addition, she is a certified Farm Transition Coordinator with the International Farm Transition Network.