Washington Farm Bureau Online Courses

This course is brought to you by Washington Young Farmers & Ranchers committee in conjunction with Andy Junkin of Agriculture Strategy. 

What is this course about? 

Just like many young adults who can’t wait to marry their sweetheart, many farm families can’t wait for their kids to join the family business. However, it’s not all sunshine and unicorns…sadly most marriages and farming partnerships are ending in divorce instead of happily ever after. Churches have found “pre-marriage” classes help young couples PROACTIVELY identify potential problems in their marriage and set the pragmatic framework for a lifetime partnership beyond the honeymoon. This is the first course that acts as a “pre-marriage class” for farm families before the young farmer “marries” the farm for life.

This online course focuses on the first 3-5 years when a son or daughter transitions from kid to partner.  This isn’t estate planning.  It focuses on how the successor will be gradually groomed into management over the next decade and sets the framework for how the family will work together as professionals.  

How does this course work?

This is a $500/person course that Washington Young Farmers and Ranchers is subsidizing course enrollment by 80% (only $100/person enrollment cost) for all Washington Farm Bureau members. 

Ask for 80% discount coupon code: [email protected]

Each key family member must sign up and complete the course as an individual because the answers you provide are private and personal. Courses are divided into younger and older generations. Please sign up accordingly to take full advantage of customized questions!

Course includes:

• 6 hours of video and questions that can be completed in as little as a week if you simply listen an hour a day and spend 20 minutes at the end of each day reflecting on thought-provoking questions.  
• 2-hour exam (end of course) that will challenge your goals and beliefs, fundamentally shifting the trajectory of your future. 
• One-on-one meeting. When you have completed the online course, Andy Junkin will meet with you via Zoom.us in an hour-long, one-on-one career/life-planning session. 
• Family meeting. Andy will then meet with your entire family (if several family members take the course) for a few hours pro bono after everyone has completed the course.  This strategic planning session will help everyone get on the same page for how the family will work together over the next five years.

This course is a ten-hour investment of your time which will profoundly impact the next ten years of your life!

To Quote a 19-year-old farmer (Theo Koskamp, Stratford Ontario) who just took this course…

Excellent course! Needs time for you to think after sections but I was able to listen to it while still operating equipment. Really makes you think about how to approach change in a family operation large or small. Also helps with interpreting how siblings may feel with you entering the farm.

Expectations:

We expect all key family members who will be part of day to day operations in 2022 to participate.    

We expect that if you start this course that you and all of your family members do their best to complete the program.  

Let's get started!

This course was designed to fit into a busy farm family’s life schedule, so that a family can take the course while doing field work and then have a life-changing family conversation on the next rainy day! This is a ten-hour course which will change the odds of success for the next ten years of your life! 

To talk with course instructor you are welcome to call Andy Junkin at 800-474-2057