Estimates suggest nearly 66% of farmers and ranchers have no estate planning tools in place. That’s a problem Oklahoma State University Extension and the Noble Research Institute hope to help solve this fall through a partnership that brings practical farm-and-ranch transition guidance to Oklahoma producers.

With five one-day workshops held across the state, this partnership focuses on providing educational materials, OSU Extension consulting and ongoing support to help producers make informed decisions on transition planning.

“This program won’t just be a workshop — it will enable us to provide ongoing support to farmers and ranchers as they take the first steps of their transition journey,” said Dr. Shannon Ferrell, agricultural economics professor at OSU. “Without the support we have received from Noble Research Institute, we simply wouldn’t be able to provide this kind of in-depth farm transition support to our Oklahoma farmers and ranchers.”

Events will be held at the following locations throughout the fall. Interested producers can register online or by going to marketplace.okstate.edu and selecting the Agricultural Economics option.

• Aug. 28 – Guymon
• Sept. 11 – Woodward
• Sept. 25 – Ardmore
• Oct. 16 – Claremore
• Oct. 28 – Lawton

“Keeping farmers and ranchers on the land is at the foundation of our work,” said Steve Rhines, president and CEO of Noble Research Institute. “A successful transition is just as vital to that mission as healthy soil or sound grazing management. Land stewardship only continues if there’s a next generation ready to carry it forward.”

The Noble Research Institute is the largest nonprofit organization in the United States dedicated to providing farmers and ranchers with the education to improve soil health and increase farm and ranch profitability.

In addition to the live events hosted across the state this fall, OSU Extension will provide a revised Farm Transition Workbook, an updated library of online resources and continued support for producers throughout the two-year project.

“Our hope is that our participants will walk away from our live events with an understanding of the importance of transition planning, the first piece of their action plan for shaping their transition and at least three concrete actions they can take within a month,” Ferrell said.