Farm/Ranch Transition Planning

Designing a farm/ranch estate plan that is consistent with dreams and values is a personal and often complex process. Thus, the process is often delayed for another day and it ends up on a road of perpetual procrastination.

To help ease the challenges of developing a transition plan, North Dakota State University Extension Service has scheduled a series of workshops at 12 locations across the state on the following dates: Nov. 16 and 30, and Dec. 7. Locally, Williston and Watford City will host the series.

The workshops will be conducted through an interactive video network. The featured speakers are Dr. Gary Goreham, North Dakota State University and Andy Zenk, Ag Country Farm Credit Services. They will share ideas in designing an orderly and successful plan, choosing successors, financial impacts and tax consequences along with tools and strategies available to create transfer plans.

More details about these workshops can be obtained by contacting this office: 701-577-4595.

Order Trees Now

Each spring the Williams County Soil Conservation District offers a variety of seedling hand plant trees for sale. Now is a good time to place an order for next spring’s delivery. The cost is $35 for a bundle of 25 trees. For individual trees the cost is $1.50. For a complete list of available trees contact the district office at 701-572-6729, Ext. 3.

If you are considering a windbreak or shelterbelt for next year make sure you contact the same office soon to guarantee availability of trees next spring.

Successful establishment of seedling trees requires good ground preparation. One of the best practices is to summerfallow the tree plot one year prior to planting. Tilling an 8-foot swath where the row is to be planted is a good practice. Another option is to use a non-selective herbicide to kill all plants just prior to tillage.

An alternative to tillage fallow is to destroy unwanted plants in the area intended for trees by applying non-selective herbicides such as glyphosate at least once in the summer and again in late fall. For additional weed control Johnson suggests fabric which is normally used on tall deciduous trees and conifers.

According to Dennis Johnson, District Technical, row spacing can be a maximum of 20 feet. The tree species selected will influence row spacing but the distance between rows in most plantings is 16-20 feet.