International FARMTRANSFERS Project

Overview

The International FARMTRANSFERS Project is a global collaborative research effort employing a standardised, copyrighted questionnaire to yield a range of (largely quantitative) data relating to the pattern, process and speed of succession and retirement which provide a firm base for future inquiries utilising different methodologies aimed at influencing policy, research and practice.

Given the wide range of social, cultural and economic variations in farming systems across the world, FARMTRANSFERS is helping to identify and compare rates and patterns of succession, and similarities and/or differences in attitudes and intentions of farmers towards intergenerational farm transfer across continents and cultures. Results from this collaborative research initiative are being used to inform the design of teaching programmes, training for professional advisors and practical interventions with farming families on the topic of intergenerational farm transfer.

International FARMTRANSFERS Survey Participating Countries and U.S.A. States

The FARMTRANSFERS survey, based on an original design developed by the late Professor Andrew Errington of the University of Plymouth in 1991 in conjunction with the Centre for Agricultural Strategy at the University of Reading, United Kingdom (Errington and Tranter, 1991), has now been replicated in 13 countries and 8 states in the U.S.A., and completed by over 18,000 farmers throughout the world. See below:

1991 England
1993 France
1997 Canada (Ontario and Quebec)
1997 England
2000 Iowa, U.S.A.
2001 Japan
2001 Virginia, U.S.A.
2003 Germany
2003 Poland
2003 Austria
2003 Switzerland
2004 Australia
2004 California (Humboldt County), U.S.A.
2005 Pennsylvania & New Jersey, U.S.A.
2006 Iowa, U.S.A.
2005 North Carolina, U.S.A.
2006 Wisconsin, U.S.A.
2009 Romania
2009 Slovenia
2010 Tennessee, U.S.A.
2014 Republic of Ireland
2019 Iowa, U.S.A.
2020 England, Scotland & Northern Ireland

International FARMTRANSFERS Co-Directors

The International FARMTRANSFERS Project is codirected by Professor Matt Lobley from the Centre for Rural Policy Research, University of Exeter, United Kingdom and Dr Shane Conway from the Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc, Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority. Dr Ian Whitehead, at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, United Kingdom and John R. Baker, Attorney at Law at Iowa at the Beginning Farmer Centre, Iowa State University U.S.A were previous Co-Directors of FARMTRANSFERS along with Professor Lobley. John R. Baker is also the founding father of the International Farm Transition Network (IFTN), established in 1990, and we are very pleased to maintain a close working relationship with FARMTRANSFERS to this day.

International FARMTRANSFERS Project Memorandum of Understanding

The International FARMTRANSFERS survey is to be undertaken within a Memorandum of Understanding between the FARMTRANSFERS project’s Co-Directors and those intending to use the list of copyright questions designed to investigate farmers’ current situation and future plans/expectations regarding retirement, farm decision-making, succession and inheritance.

It is possible to make slight modifications (with the agreement of the FARMTRANSFERS Project’s Co-Directors) to the survey to reflect the situation in a given country/state.

International FARMTRANSFERS Project Database

Data gathered from the International FARMTRANSFERS survey will be sent to the University of Exeter for comparative analyses with data from other participating countries and states. The results will provide a comparison of trends in farm succession and retirement with those in other countries to reveal the extent to which their experience reflects patterns elsewhere in the world, and to what extent their experience is unique. Furthermore, this information will provide policy makers an understanding of obstacles and issues regarding intergenerational farm transfer.

Recent International FARMTRANSFERS Study Example

The most recent International FARMTRANSFERS study involved comparing and contrasting a data derived from a list of copyright questions derived from the FARMTRANSFERS survey carried out with a large sample of farmers in Ireland and Iowa in the U.S.A., in order to provide a unique international perspective of the farming population on farm succession and retirement, across a broad spectrum of cultures, farming operations, typologies, geographical location, and scale (i.e. the average farm size in Ireland is 32.4 hectares, compared to 145.3 hectares in Iowa). This study, published in the Winter 2022 edition of Iowa State University’s Agricultural Policy Review (see: https://agpolicyreview.card.iastate.edu/winter-2022/farm-succession-and-retirement-across-continents-and-cultures-focus-ireland-and-iowa),reveals that low rates of retirement within the farming community and a lack of succession planning, are not confined to one country but have a global dimension.

International FARMTRANSFERS Project Related Publications to Date

1991

Errington, A. J. and Tranter, R. B. (1991) Getting out of Farming? Part two: The farmers, Reading University Farm Management Unit, Study No. 27.

2000

Duffy, M.D., Baker, J.R. and Lambertic, A. (2000) Farm Succession in Iowa, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, U.S.A.

2002

Errington, A. (2002) Handing over the reins – A comparative study of intergenerational farm transfers in England, France and Canada

Tondreau, J., Parent, D. and Perrier, J-P. (2002) Handing Down the Family Farm – The Situation in Quebec and a Look at Other Jurisdictions, Université Laval, Québec

2004

Barclay, E. (2004) Farm Succession and Inheritance – An International Comparison, Institute of Rural Futures, Australia

Glauben, T., Tietje, H. and Vogel, S. (2004) Farm succession patterns in Northern Germany and Austria – a survey comparison. Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, BOKU, Wien, Austria, 12 pp.

2006

Kirkpatrick, J. (2006) Farm retirement and succession planning in southwest Wisconsin. Unpublished report. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Profitability.

Rossier, R. and Wyss, B. (2006) Farm Succession in Switzerland: Determinants and proces. Paper prepared for presentation at the 96th EAAE Conference.

2007

Barclay, E., Foskey, R. and Reeve, I. (2007) Farm Succession and Inheritance – Comparing Australian and International Trends, A report for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, RIRDC Publication No.07/066.

Giraud, D. and Baker J.R. (2007) Farm and ranch succession in a rural California county; extending the farm transfer project.

2008

Uchiyama et al. (2008) Dimensions of Intergenerational Farm Business Transfers in Canada, England, the USA and Japan, Jpn. J. Rural Econ. 10. 33-48.

2010

Bohak, Z., Borec, A. and Turk, J. (2010) An appraisal of family farm succession studies – a review, Agricultura, 7, 9-13

Lobley, M. (2010) Succession in the family farm business, Oxford Farming Conference 2010.

Lobley, M., Baker, J.R. and Whitehead, I. (2010) Farm succession and retirement – Some international comparisons, Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 1(1), 49-64

2012

Lobley, M. and Baker, J. (2012) Succession and retirement in family farm businesses. In: Lobley, M., Baker, J. and Whitehead, I. (Eds.), Keeping it in the Family: International Perspectives on Succession and Retirement on Family Farms (Ashgate), pp. 1–19.

2013

Baker, J.R., Lobley, M. and Whitehead, I. (2013) Intergenerational Farm Transfer Research – policy Implications, 19th International Farm Management Congress, SGGW, Warsaw, Poland

Borec, A., Bohak, Z., Turk, J. and Prišenk, J. (2013) The Succession Status of Family Farms in the Mediterranean Region of Slovenia, Sociológia 45(3), 316-337

Kirkpatrick, J. (2013) Retired Farmer – An Elusive Concept, The magazine of food, farm, and resource issues, 2nd Quarter 2013, 28(2)

2018

Conway, S.F., Farrell, M., McDonagh, J. and Kinsella, A. (2018) Till death do us part Exploring the Irish farmer-farm relationship in later life through the lens of ‘Insideness’, International Journal of Agricultural Management, 7.1, 1-13.

2020

Maule, B., Zhang, W. and Baker, B. (2020) Iowa Farmers’ Business and Farm Transfer Plans – A Comparison between 2019 and 2006. Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Policy Briefs, Iowa State University, U.S.A., December 2020.

Wheeler, R., Lobley, M. and Soffe, R. (2020) Farm Succession and Inheritance in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, National Farmers Union Report, Jul 2020.

2022

Conway, S.F., Farrell, M., McDonagh, J., Kinsella, A. and Baker J.R. (2022) Farm Succession and Retirement across Continents and Cultures – A Focus on Ireland and Iowa, Agricultural Policy Review Winter 2022. Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University, U.S.A.

International FARMTRANSFERS Project Contact Details

For more information on how to get involved in the International FARMTRANSFERS Project, please contact:

Professor Matt Lobley at: m.lobley@exeter.ac.uk or Dr. Shane Conway at: shaneyconway@gmail.com