Building big: Cattle barn project clears path for next generation
Before the end of the year, the first load of feeder cattle will fill the newly constructed barn on the Smit farm in southeastern South Dakota’s Turner County.
It’s a major milestone for Kaleb Smit, 25, who is starting a cattle feeding enterprise, and it’s been a long time coming.
Phil Smit points out the changes at the family’s cattle yard north of Beresford. As a condition of secreting grant funding for the cattle barn, the Smits will abandon their open lots that sit along a creek running into the Vermillion River.
Fair doesn't always mean equal when passing on the family farm
A family farm may be worth millions on paper, but that doesn't mean the farming heir can afford to buy out every sibling at market value.
This is the problem Craig Sorenson of Financial Wealth Solutions addressed during an educational session, "How to Equalize Your Estate Between Your Farming and Non-Farming Heirs," during the Dakotafest farm show in Mitchell, South Dakota, this summer.
Walking the Fenceline with Prairie Family Business Association
One word. "McArthur." A song by Tim McGraw, Eric Church, Hardy, and Morgan Wallen. It's been topping the charts for all of 2026. We've all heard it and felt the lyrics. The song relates to everyone a little differently in the ag world. It depends on what chapter of life you're in. Are you a John, a Jones, or a Hunter McArthur? Maybe you're the matriarch behind it all, never mentioned in the song, but still feeling the pain behind every word sang.
I think the song hits so hard because it's the question behind every ag family that no one says out loud. "When you pass on, what you gonna pass down?" OK, sure. You have a will. Maybe you've got a trust lined up for the ground. But have you talked about it with those whom it will affect?
Starting in this issue, you'll notice some articles and columns focused on the future. Tri-State Neighbor is launching a series on beginning farmers called the Road Ahead.
Over the next year, we'll meet several young farmers who will share their stories about getting started. We'll explore the path they took to farming, the challenges they faced along the way and their hopes for the future. We'll also talk to the experts on estate planning, managing family relationships, lending and grant programs, to name a few.
