S1E473 - E473 Only 16.5% of Dairy Farms Make It to the Third Generation – The Succession Decisions That Stop a Buyout from Killing Your Herd

Most dairy families say they want to keep the farm in the family. But the hard data tells a different story: only about 16.5% of family farms actually make it to a third generation of ownership. The culprit isn't a lack of love for the land or the cows—it's a succession model that was designed for a different era. When a traditional "equal shares at full appraised value" buyout loads $600–$750 of debt onto every cow in a business earning a 2% return on assets, you're not planning a transition. You're planning a dispersal in slow motion. This episode breaks down what...