Planning for the Future of Your Farm: 2025–2026 Workshops

Every year, OSU Extension brings farm families together to tackle one of the most important, and often most difficult, tasks in agriculture: planning for the future of the family farm. Our “Planning for the Future of Your Farm” workshops help families navigate farm succession, estate planning, and strategies for ensuring that the farm continues across generations.

For 2025–2026, OSU Extension is offering three learning formats to meet the needs of busy farm families:

1. A new asynchronous online course (work at your own pace)
2. A live Zoom webinar series in March 2026
3. In-person workshops across Ohio in 2025 & 2026

Whether you are beginning the planning process or fine-tuning an existing transition strategy, these programs provide critical information, tools, and structure to help families move forward.

Why Attend?

Transition planning is more than paperwork, it’s a family conversation about goals, legacy, and the future of the business. Our workshops challenge families to think strategically and communicate openly about succession, while providing the legal and financial tools necessary to make informed decisions.

Teaching the program are:

• David Marrison, OSU Extension Farm Management Field Specialist
• Robert Moore, Attorney/Research Specialist , OSU Agricultural & Resource Law Program

Topics Covered

Throughout the workshop series and online course, participants will learn how to:

• Develop estate and succession planning goals
• Plan for the transition of management and control
• Communicate effectively and manage family conflict
• Understand legal tools and strategies for farm transition
• Build a professional advisory team
• Get personal and business affairs organized

Schedule and Registration

Registration for the online on-demand program is available here.  Full access to the course videos and materials is $149. 

The four-part live webinar series will take place on four evenings in March:

March 2, 9, 16 & 23, 2026
6:00–8:00 p.m. via Zoom
Cost: $99 per family

Register for the webinar series at https://farmoffice.osu.edu/PFF-workshops.

The times and locations of the in-person programs are:

• December 11 & 17, 2025 - Lorain County (6:00 to 9:00 p.m.)
• January 14 & 21, 2026 - Logan County (6:00 to 9:00 p.m.)
• February 9 & 16, 2026 - Muskingum County (6:00 to 9:00 p.m.)
• March 3 & 17, 2026 - Washington County (6:00 to 9:00 p.m.)
• March 18 & 26, 2026  - Morrow County (5:00 to 9:00 p.m.)
• December 1 & 8, 2026 - Madison County (6:00 to 9:00 p.m.)

Registration information for the in person workshops is at https://farmoffice.osu.edu/PFF-workshops

For more information or questions, contact David Marrison at Marrison.2@osu.edu or Robert Moore at moore.301@osu.edu.