Rena Striegel and Transition Point Business Advisors Highlight Succession Gap Facing U.S. Farms
DES MOINES, IA, March 2026. Rena Striegel and Transition Point Business Advisors are drawing attention to a growing challenge across American agriculture: many farm owners are nearing retirement age, while many operations still lack a clear succession plan.
Over the past several years, Striegel has worked with farm families throughout the United States and has seen the trend firsthand. A significant portion of agricultural businesses is approaching a generational transition. For many owners, retirement is becoming a realistic timeline rather than a general idea. That shift is forcing families to confront important decisions about leadership, ownership, and the long-term future of the operation.
A Growing Leadership Transition Across U.S. Agriculture
The structure of American agriculture means that many farms are family-owned and operated across multiple generations. While that tradition has allowed farms to pass knowledge, land, and relationships forward, it also means that leadership transitions carry both emotional and financial weight.
Striegel notes that many farm owners have spent decades building their operations. When the time comes to step back, the decision involves more than transferring assets. It involves deciding who will lead, how responsibilities will shift, and how the next generation will carry the business forward.
In communities across the country, these questions are becoming more urgent as the average age of farm owners continues to rise.
Many Farms Still Lack a Clear Succession Plan
Despite recognizing the importance of generational transition, many families have not yet created a formal succession strategy. In some cases, discussions about the future remain informal or unspoken. In others, families intend to address the issue but postpone the conversation because daily operations take priority.
Striegel says this delay is one of the most common patterns she encounters while working with farm families.
“Across the country, we’re seeing a large number of farm owners approaching retirement without a clear succession plan in place,” Striegel said. “The opportunity right now is for families to start these conversations early so they can protect both the future of the farm and the relationships within the family.”
Without a clearly communicated plan, uncertainty can develop around leadership responsibilities, ownership structure, and financial continuity.
Why Early Planning Matters
Striegel believes the most successful farm transitions begin long before retirement becomes imminent. When families start discussing the future earlier, they gain time to explore options, clarify expectations, and prepare the next generation for leadership.
Intentional planning also helps reduce misunderstandings between generations. When roles, timelines, and responsibilities are clearly discussed, families can move forward with greater confidence.
Through her work at Transition Point Business Advisors, Striegel helps agricultural families navigate these conversations in a structured way. Her approach focuses on building clarity around leadership readiness, ownership decisions, and long-term family goals while protecting the relationships that sustain family-owned farms.
Supporting the Future of Family Agriculture
As the agricultural sector faces a major generational shift, Striegel believes proactive planning will be essential to protecting the future of family farms. Conversations about transition may feel difficult at first, but they create the foundation for stability and long-term success.
By highlighting the growing succession gap facing U.S. farms, Transition Point Business Advisors hopes to encourage families to begin those discussions earlier and approach the process with intention.
More information about Transition Point Business Advisors’ succession planning resources is available at https://transitionpointba.com. Rena Striegel also shares insights and educational resources through LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Rena Striegel
Rena Striegel is the President of Transition Point Business Advisors and one of the leading authorities in agricultural and family business succession planning. With more than twenty years of experience advising multi-generational families across the United States, she is known for addressing the human dynamics that determine the success or failure of a transition. Raised on a dairy farm in Iowa, she combines real-world experience with a structured process that helps families move from conflict and uncertainty to clarity and alignment. She is the creator of The DIRTT Project and host of the Ag Inspo podcast.
About Transition Point Business Advisors
Transition Point Business Advisors specializes in succession planning for agricultural and family-owned businesses. The firm provides structured facilitation, communication alignment, and leadership readiness support to guide families through ownership transitions with clarity, confidence, and continuity.