Based on years of post-transition reviews, MNP has identified seven traits common to successful farm families, MacLean says. First, they start early. Early planning allows flexibility and time to work through the tough stuff. Clear, respectful communication is the second trait - and it's essential. Families who talk openly and establish expectations avoid the dangerous territory of unspoken assumptions. Farms that navigate the process well have a shared vision.
They were members of the local Wilson 4-H club and that legacy continued when JoAnn raised her own family there. "My daughters both had dairy projects," she said. "They were in the replacement heifer program where they raised dairy calves and sold them at the fair. So that was two generations right there at the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Fairs. We had a really wonderful time. We have wonderful neighbors and we're still here on Chapman Lane."
When life gets stressful, one of the oldest tried and true remedies comes from the calming scent of flowers. Lavender is at the top of that list, and when it's an entire field of lavender it can waft our troubles away with both the sight and aroma. Petaluma residents can see and enjoy such a visage on Chapman Lane where the Lavender Bee Farm has been enchanting locals and international guests for many years.
It was amazing, surreal, extraordinary and very, very special for us as a small family-run business that they wanted to come here to our farm to meet us as a family, to be interested in us as a family, and to be concerned about us as a family - particularly after Storm Amy and how it affected the farm