Building a strong foundation for farm transition with Elaine Froese

Building a strong foundation for farm transition with Elaine Froese

Author: Progressive Dairy editors July 15, 2025 Duration: 59:13

In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, host Kimmi Devaney chats with Elaine Froese about how farm families can build a strong foundation for farm transition. Froese has more than 30 years of experience helping farm families through this process and has written articles in almost every issue of Progressive Dairy – Canada for the past 14 years. 

Read Froese’s articles in Progressive Dairy and visit her website.

Episode overview:

  • [~1:10] About Froese’s background and her inspiration for helping farm families with transition planning
  • [~3:00] When should farm families start discussion farm transition?
  • [~4:05] Tips to help farm families communicate better
  • [~7:15] Other essential skills for building a strong foundation for farm transition
  • [~10:55] Tips to better communicate expectations
  • [~13:55] The first step in the farm transition process
  • [~16:40] Understanding conflict styles
  • [~21:20] What role do nonfarm heirs have in the farm transition conversation?
  • [~24:20] How to approach “fair versus equal”
  • [~31:00] Tips to get everyone to the table to discuss farm transition
  • [~34:45] Considerations when selecting a driver to coordinate the farm transition conversation
  • [~38:30] How farm families can better navigate through difficult emotions before and/or during transition conversations
  • [~43:50] Nonrelated transition
  • [~48:30] The top pitfall Froese sees when working with farm families
  • [~49:15] Top three tips for farm transition
  • [~53:15] Rapid-fire questions

For those who live and work in the world of milk production, the day doesn’t stop for a deep dive into industry news. That’s where the Progressive Dairy Podcast comes in, extending the trusted editorial voice of the magazine into an audio format you can take anywhere. Hosted by the Progressive Dairy editors, this series is crafted specifically for U.S. dairy producers and the network of professionals who support them. Think of it as a conversation with well-informed colleagues, breaking down the latest trends, operational strategies, and business insights that matter at the farm gate and beyond. You’ll hear straightforward discussions that translate complex topics into actionable advice, whether the subject is herd health, market dynamics, sustainability practices, or technology adoption. Released every other Tuesday, each episode is designed to fit into a busy schedule, providing a dose of relevant information during a morning commute or an afternoon walk. It’s more than just a business podcast; it’s a practical resource built on the same foundation of reliability that readers have come to expect, now available for your ears instead of your eyes. Tune in to stay informed and connected to the pulse of the dairy industry.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Progressive Dairy Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Feeding colostrum with Michael Steele [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:02
Feeding colostrum is arguably one of the most important processes on a dairy. Michael Steele of the University of Guelph joins host Matti McBride in this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast to discuss passive immuni…
Protecting your dairy amid rising insurance costs (Sponsored Podcast) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:15
With tight margins and volatile milk prices, rising insurance costs add a frustrating layer of complexity to your daily operation. In this episode, we sit down with Dan Rice, a Senior Dairy Consultant at Nationwide, to d…
Using herd management software with producer Steve Harnish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:17
In this digital age, how are dairy producers making numbers work for them? Host Matti McBride chats with Pennsylvania dairy farmer Steve Harnish in this Progressive Dairy Podcast episode. Learn about Harnish’s dairy, whi…