Inheritance of land

Speakerboxx · 23-09-2020 1:11pm #1

Hi there

Has anyone here inherited land or is ready to inherit land from your parents and then running the land yourself becomes a nightmare as they always still feel they have input and feel they are running the show still on the farm eventhough you now own it or will own it?

I am having this problem myself. I work full time in another job. My dad is semi retired but still farms a bit with drystock. He is running operations at present but in 2 years i will be in charge. I know when the time comes he will still feel he has the input and will be arguing with me if things aren't done the way he does things. We have had numerous arguments and in my mid thirtys now I feel like walking away and let him keep the farm and do what he wants with it. It would save me the hassle of dealing with this. I am thinking of letting him find someone else who will farm it eventhough my name will be on it. I did the green cert a few years ago and i feel its been all a waste to me. I have interest in farming but just as a small hobby. I wouldn't have a massive interest in it. I had an argument with my dad again yesterday over operations on the farm and we arent talking since. Im thinking life isn't worth this hassle.

Really not sure what to do. Thanks for advice in advance.

893bet · 23-09-2020 11:07pm

What was the argument over?

I recently inherited but my father still does a lot of the work. Lucky to have him! When he ain’t there the work load on me will be a lot higher, the tax bill will be a lot higher and my cattle quality will be a little lower (as he has the time to feed a shake of nuts to a weak animal and mind that while the eat etc.), mortality will be higher.

My advice without knowing your relationship.....appreciate his input. Bite your tongue. There will a time come when he is just not able.

You are coming across as very entitled “save your the hassle of dealing with this”....”find someone else to farm it but put it in my name”.

Do you need to step back and look at the bigger picture maybe? Hard to know from the single post. Maybe your auld lad is an awful bollox!

blackbox · 23-09-2020 11:11pm

How old is your Dad? Is he fit and able?

Why is he transferring it to you if he still wants to run it himself?

Speakerboxx · 24-09-2020 11:02am

893bet wrote: »

What was the argument over?

I recently inherited but my father still does a lot of the work. Lucky to have him! When he ain’t there the work load on me will be a lot higher, the tax bill will be a lot higher and my cattle quality will be a little lower (as he has the time to feed a shake of nuts to a weak animal and mind that while the eat etc.), mortality will be higher.

My advice without knowing your relationship.....appreciate his input. Bite your tongue. There will a time come when he is just not able.

You are coming across as very entitled “save your the hassle of dealing with this”....”find someone else to farm it but put it in my name”.

Do you need to step back and look at the bigger picture maybe? Hard to know from the single post. Maybe your auld lad is an awful bollox!

I love his help and experience input but if i had any ideas of doing work on the farm i.e cutting trees down etc on the farm he would argue with me over that or even improve structures in farm. If he didnt agree with any input or ideas i had it would lead to an argument. It wouldnt be a case where both of us could compromise.

That's where the problem is. If you own the land you expect to be able to do the correct thing with advice but you should have the final call. That's where my problem is. We cant agree even there.

The11Duff · 24-09-2020 11:06am

Speakerboxx wrote: »

Hi there

Has anyone here inherited land or is ready to inherit land from your parents and then running the land yourself becomes a nightmare as they always still feel they have input and feel they are running the show still on the farm eventhough you now own it or will own it?

I am having this problem myself. I work full time in another job. My dad is semi retired but still farms a bit with drystock. He is running operations at present but in 2 years i will be in charge. I know when the time comes he will still feel he has the input and will be arguing with me if things aren't done the way he does things. We have had numerous arguments and in my mid thirtys now I feel like walking away and let him keep the farm and do what he wants with it. It would save me the hassle of dealing with this. I am thinking of letting him find someone else who will farm it eventhough my name will be on it. I did the green cert a few years ago and i feel its been all a waste to me. I have interest in farming but just as a small hobby. I wouldn't have a massive interest in it. I had an argument with my dad again yesterday over operations on the farm and we arent talking since. Im thinking life isn't worth this hassle.

Really not sure what to do. Thanks for advice in advance.

From my own experience I found that when my father handed over, he would still offer his advice/opinion but i held on to the fact that the bills are in my name now so its my way, end of.
I was maybe a little different from your own set of circumstances as I already was farming another farm.

But remember your father will always be the best bet for when you need help, as long as he is able

Pistachio19 · 24-09-2020 11:14am

Are you being gifted the land - as in will it all be in your name? If so he will then have no input. A very similar situation happened with a friend's husband. He was promised the land, gave up his job, spent every hour of the day farming but under his father's watch. It quickly became apparent that the father was never going to allow the changes and modernisation that friend wanted/needed to do. So he walked after a few months. He doesn't even help out now. My friend was not 100% on board as she could see that things would not change while his father was still alive. It caused stress for them as a couple. If your father is not going to sign that farm over to you now and step back, then I'd be hesitant to take on any work on it at all.

Speakerboxx · 24-09-2020 7:19pm

Pistachio19 wrote: »

Are you being gifted the land - as in will it all be in your name? If so he will then have no input. A very similar situation happened with a friend's husband. He was promised the land, gave up his job, spent every hour of the day farming but under his father's watch. It quickly became apparent that the father was never going to allow the changes and modernisation that friend wanted/needed to do. So he walked after a few months. He doesn't even help out now. My friend was not 100% on board as she could see that things would not change while his father was still alive. It caused stress for them as a couple. If your father is not going to sign that farm over to you now and step back, then I'd be hesitant to take on any work on it at all.

I have a wife and family and i dont want it causing us stress. Running it isn't a problem. It's the fact that once it gets signed over he is never going to step away. I am very open to advice and recommendations but if I don't want to do a certain aspect that he suggests then it would only lead to an argument and none of us would be in the better of it afterwards. I don't want any stress for any decisions i make and he disagrees with.

Pistachio19 · 24-09-2020 9:50pm

It would be a lot of hassle to take it on especially as you already have a job and you are not 100% interested in farming. If you loved, lived and breathed it, it would make your decision easier and you might be able to tolerate your father's input. But as it stands, unless he can swear he'll back off, or you can ignore his wishes if they don't suit you (causing him upset) then you are looking at the same arguments and stress for the next god knows how many years. Will it really be worth it? Do you think he'd be devastated if you walked away now or would he accept it?

At the end of the day you need to do what is right for you, your wife and kids. If life in your chosen career is working for you all and you are happy with what you do for your job, then that might be the path to stay on.

893bet · 26-09-2020 10:32am

Speakerboxx wrote: »

I have a wife and family and i dont want it causing us stress. Running it isn't a problem. It's the fact that once it gets signed over he is never going to step away. I am very open to advice and recommendations but if I don't want to do a certain aspect that he suggests then it would only lead to an argument and none of us would be in the better of it afterwards. I don't want any stress for any decisions i make and he disagrees with.

What age is he?

Ultimately if he transfer it over then it’s yours. The cheques will come to you, same as the bills.

I would try to find middle ground. It’s hard for older farmers I think to see value in spending money To make life on the farm a little easier. When they never worked a full time job and had responsibilities around the house with kids on top of farming. A decent bit of fencing, the right tool, a piece of machinery etc.

Try and work together and appreciate that his labour and experience is involved. He is farming 60 years at this stage I assume. Sure, he can’t measure grass with a measuring plate......he can probably do it with his eye.

Inheritance of land

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