Blog > Two Generations, One Farm
I write a lot about families and farmland because I see the same tension over and over.
Before I started sharing these stories, I didn’t realize how separated siblings had become. How often good families stop talking. I write them so people know they’re not alone. A lot of families are walking through the same thing quietly.
As baby boomers age, the largest transfer of land and wealth the U.S. has ever seen is underway. And with it comes friction.
Boomers often feel misunderstood.
I asked one why younger folks feel controlled instead of parented.
He said his generation learned self sufficiency early. No backup plans. No safety nets. If money was tight, you worked more. If a year went bad, you carried it without complaint.
Most boomers didn’t inherit much. They built what they have through risk and sacrifice. That made them protective. Careful. Sometimes too careful.
“When you’ve spent your whole life holding everything together,” he said, “letting go feels dangerous.”
From the younger side, the story sounds different.
I hear from sons and daughters who worked the farm for years without clear pay. Who were promised ownership someday, but never saw anything written down. Who were treated differently than siblings, yet expected to stay loyal. Who feel more like hired help than partners.
They don’t feel parented.
They feel managed.
Boomers often see entitlement.
Younger folks feel uncertainty.
Both are reacting to fear.
Boomers fear losing what they built. Younger generations fear wasting years waiting for clarity that never comes. Boomers value sacrifice and patience. Younger folks value transparency and fairness.
Neither side is wrong.
They just grew up surviving different things.
The farms that struggle most aren’t short on acres or equity. They’re short on conversation. Expectations stay unspoken. Plans stay unwritten. Silence fills the gaps.
This isn’t about blame.
It’s about two generations loving the same land in different ways, and not always understanding how the other carries the weight.
Most families aren’t broken.
They’re just stuck between holding on and letting go.
And land has a way of forcing those conversations, whether we’re ready for them or not.
Dennis Prussman,
Premier Land & Auction Group
Real Broker, LLC,