Videos

Finding Fairness in Farm Transition

High land values are keeping farm families stuck. Do you want your farm business to remain intact for the next generation? Most do. Do you want the family to get along and come home for gatherings? Most do. What most farms don’t do is break down assumptions, have robust respectful family meetings and discover the expectations of ALL family members.

This video highlights Elaine’s acronym F.A.I.R. (Financial transparency, Attitude towards money, Intentions, and Roles and rebels). Learn how to help everyone in the family be successful.

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Kick Starting Succession Planning Conversations

Elaine’s superpower is mapping out your family map, noting the dynamics, ages, stages, who is on-farm and who is a non-business heir. She nails down the key challenges and leads you to transparent respectful conversations, culminating in a transformative family meeting.

Her actionable next steps create a pathway for change that is doable and supported by her expertise. She’ll save you heaps of money BEFORE you visit the accountant and lawyer to talk about your transition or succession plan.

Learn how to create courageous conversations, gain new tools for talking through tough issues, and start your succession planning binder.

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Transition Planning Secrets of Success for Founders

Interview with Tracy Brunet and Elaine Froese

Throughout the episode, Elaine shares the best of her wisdom from over forty years of helping families transition their farm to the next generation. Tracy Brunet, President of Impact Farm Marketing, and Elaine Froese chat about common mistakes and best practices, and they highlight four big key questions that founders should be thinking about to transition the farm.

Are you the founding generation of the farm? If so, you will not want to miss this episode and the wisdom that Elaine shares to get you started or unstuck on your farm transition journey.

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Transition Planning Secrets of Success for Generation 2

Interview with Tracy Brunet and Elaine Froese

Are you a Gen 2 Successor? Do you feel like your farm transition plan is stuck in neutral? Maybe your parents refuse to discuss the subject, leaving you frustrated, resentful, and fearful for your future. If so, this episode is right for you. First off, it doesn’t need to be this way. Secondly, you don’t have to travel this path alone. This podcast will help get the next generation unstuck.

In this episode, Elaine illustrates critical areas and actions that you as a Gen 2 should be focused on to start courageous conversations and move the needle forward on your dreams.

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Farm Culture Beats Strategy

Interview with Tracy Brunet and Elaine Froese

Elaine defines culture as the invisible glue that holds a business or a family team together. She states that agriculture is definitely a culture. She has created a three-part framework (Believe. Behave. Decide.) to help our viewers learn about and create a strong culture on their farm.

Elaine shares thought provoking insights on how the differences between farm family team members can either cause challenges and/or complement each other to build an even stronger farm family team.

Do you farm with family members? Whether it’s your spouse or a multigenerational farm family, please do yourself a favour and watch this episode. The principles within Elaine’s message can mean the difference between harmony and conflict on your farm, and at the end of the day, it can even mean the difference between the family farm continuing on or failing due to personal conflict.

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Managing Generational Expectations: Discuss the Undiscussabull^TM

Many farmers ask Elaine “How can we get folks to the table to talk?” Often the conflict and high tension around the uncertainty of the future of the farm is keeping people tense and unsure of how to start courageous conversations. Yet, it’s the conversations that will give breakthroughs – once you deal with the “bull” in the middle of the room.

In this video, Elaine covers the Discuss the Undiscussabull™ Approach that provides 10 practical steps to start crucial conversations for transition and conflict resolution.

Elaine’s tools give your audience the strategies they need to improve communication within their farm family. She’ll help audit key challenges. The audience will learn how to deal with resistance and listen to their head, heart, and gut. They will gain insight into tough succession issues to have life-changing conversations – finally!

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As Seen In

Rave reviews

“A joy to work with, heard loud and clear. When the farmers laughed or asked a great question, I knew they were listening and really wanted to learn from her. Her tips were easy to understand. It was just about understanding that conflict happens, and to have the confidence in yourself to ask for what you want. In the glowing review from farmers after her presentation, I knew they had heard that loud and clear.”

Maddy Berner, Event Planner & Communications Coordinator, National Milk Producers Federation National Milk Producers Federation

“I wanted to say a HUGE thank you for your virtual kitchen table chat with Arlan Academy. My wife and I signed up as it was exceptionally relevant to our current journey with potentially transitioning to her parents’ farm. The session was able to cover so many aspects of these crucial conversations and hearing you speak to both sides of the conversation was eye opening for my own perspective on this topic. It seemed to be very well attended and sounded like there were many other people who would echo my thoughts and feelings on it.”

N. Oakley, Farmer, Ontario

“Elaine helped me allocate $1 Million of assets the night I listened to her. Elaine’s presentation brings value to the use of my services in my office.”

Don Forbes, Forbes Wealth Management

“I recently joined in and listened to your Healthy Farmer Agriwebinar for FMC. I truly enjoyed hearing your perspective and even went and grabbed my Mom, away from her work, to come and listen in on some of your main points as well! One area that really stood out for me, both personally with our own succession plans and with our clients, was your discussion involving "Instant Influence" and how ready are you to change? I loved this concept!”

Annessa Good, FCC Transition Specialist, Alberta

“Elaine Froese truly is the Farm Whisperer. With her big heart and stern resolve, she guides families through uncharted waters and helps them arrive safely at their desired destination. She has been there, done that, and has helped hundreds of families come out on the other side. With your family and your farm legacy on the line, you owe it to yourself to start this conversation. You do not need to do it alone. Let Elaine Froese guide you through. Your legacy is being written day by day. How will you be remembered?”

Tracy Brunet, Host of The Impact Farming Show & CEO of Farm Marketer

“You speak like you’ve been sitting at our kitchen table! You know our family issues well. I am feeling more comfortable understanding what we now need to do. Elaine Froese is real.”

Audience Member,

“I attended the meeting you spoke at in Stratford Ontario recently. We held an emergency family/farm meeting today because of issues that I had enough of. We used a 'talking stick' like you recommended and wrote a chart of rules. The rest of the family thought the idea that we needed a meeting was worth rolling their eyes over, until we got started. The younger ones were quick to clue in that they now have an opportunity to be bluntly honest. The older ones took a bit longer to believe they could truly say what they think. In the end, the meeting needed two sessions because there was so much to talk about… and so many things people didn't realize were a big deal to the others. Your lessons and encouragement have given us the tools we need to get to a better place in our relationships and our business. Truly thankful.”

Kim Martin, Dairy Farmer, Ontario

“Helped me develop my framework to start having constructive and meaningful conversations around the farm.”

Tennille Wakefield, Farm Partner

“Some great lessons, Elaine! You continue to do some remarkable and potentially life-changing work.”

James Mitchell, Principal, Conversations Consulting

“Our family had a good farm meeting yesterday afternoon. Your Fairness video was a great topic of discussion. One of the action items after the meeting was to have my two non-farming siblings watch the video before the next big meeting they are involved with on the farm. It will be a great conversation starter as we catch them up on our current plan. As they are younger, we also hope it will help them to ask new questions that may not have been on their mind.”

G.G., Farm Family Legacy Coach, Alberta

“Elaine gives me excellent tools that help me work with my clients!”

Laurianne Osmack, Financial Planner / Partner, Doell Osmak Wealth Management

“She has a sense of “knowing” quickly what is happening in the family dynamic. Her messages to her audiences drive home what needs to be done next to solve the complex issues of farm transition and conflict resolution.”

Audience Member,

“Eye-opening. Excited to open the door of communication with my spouse and farm family.”

Ashley Hoppe, Farm Partner

“The Strong Farms, Strong Families session gave farm families an opportunity to meet face to face with Elaine Froese... hear her own story, experiences and skill set. From this information packed session and related materials, families could identify areas of success in their journey and other places they need assistance. The greatest take away was that participants could see that Elaine Froese is someone they can trust with the things that they hold most precious.... their family and their farm.”

Nancy Atkinson, Nobleford Ag Society, Alberta

“Elaine’s real-life scenarios help her audiences know they are not alone, knowing there are creative solutions to help them get the life on the farm they have always wanted.”

Audience Member,

“A long time female client who had refined the art of procrastination was so moved by the end of your presentation that she accepted your permission to “drop the bananas.” She contacted me soon after for an appointment to do some planning which included the selling of the family “Century Farm.” A very, very emotional decision on her part that was not likely to have occurred without your presentation.”

Don Forbes, Forbes Wealthy Management

“I just have to say… that your work is amazing and I have never forgotten your teachings from our session in Williams Lake at TRU. It is super important work. I know so many people going through the trauma of succession. I hate to use that word, but I was an “out-law” and know it can get terrible. I continue to forward your emails on to others. Keep doing what you do! You are amazing. You kind of walk into the fire regularly… and with a smile. Proud to have met you.”

Megan, BC Rancher

“As my husband and I eagerly started the course we were optimistic and excited to be taking this next step in our Farm Transition. We were starting to question ourselves and whether or not we were just being selfish and greedy, and if this Farm Transition was still an option for us. We barely got through the first Module and were already having such a huge relief. As we moved through the modulus there were so many times that we just sat back with our hands in the air and thought YES. My husband and I would smile with relief because all of the concerns that we have been struggling with were relevant and came up in the modules. We really enjoyed the course and are excited to move on to the next stages to find our farm resolution.”

Shannon Gilchrist, “Get Farm Transition Unstuck” online course participant

“My hubby farms with 2 brothers and parents, and it’s become a really toxic place. No communication, no respect, etc. Twelve months ago, my husband’s brothers told him they don’t want to work with him anymore and offered him a pay out. His parents did nothing to stop it! He had no choice but to leave. Three months later, we moved off the farm and into town. He has been offered heaps of jobs and is now truck driving and carting hay and grain. We have tried communicating with his parents about what happened but they are not interested. So basically my hubby has lost his family. Very sad but we as husband and wife are overall in a good place and moving on to create our own life. Please continue on with all your wonderful work in helping families on the farm. I continue to tell any farmers I know about you, that they must ‘google’ you, and read your books.”

Donna, Farmer, Australia