Monitor Farm Scotland Event: EAST Discussing The Undiscussabull

Book event

Workshops on Communication & Transition in Farming Families

 

Join us this November for a transformative series of workshops across Scotland, hosted by Monitor Farm Scotland and featuring renowned Candian experts Lydia Carpenter and Elaine Froese from Farm Family Coach Inc.

Building on the successful AHDB events in 2024, these sessions are designed ‘For Farm Families Who Want Better Communication & Conflict Resolution to Secure a Successful Farm Transition.’

Whether you’re navigating succession now or planning for the future, these workshops will help build understanding, trust, and clarity within your family and business.

What to Expect:

  • – Succession planning
  • – Management transitions
  • – Intergenerational communication
  • – Emotional, financial & practical insights
  • – Real stories & expert guidance

 

Learn how to:

  • – Discover your communication style
  • – Work through the challenges presented in your business which need focus and attention
  • – Approach succession conversations
  • – Encourage fairness in farm family transition
  • – Negotiate vision

 

 

We ask all attendees to help create a safe and supportive space for open, respectful conversations around topics that often go unspoken in farming families. WhatsApp will be used throughout the events to provide a secure, anonymised platform that enables attendees to engage in discussions comfortably and confidentially.

Spaces are limited therefore booking is essential to secure your place. If you book but later find you’re unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so we can offer your spot to someone else. We want to make sure every seat counts!

 

All workshops are free to attend, with lunch, tea, and coffee provided. As an added bonus, each attendee will receive a workbook to guide them through the exercises, along with the opportunity to complete a Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP). This tool helps individuals understand how they respond to conflict by highlighting constructive behaviours (like perspective-taking and solution-creating), destructive habits (such as avoiding or retaliating), and personal “hot buttons” that trigger strong reactions. It offers valuable insights to improve communication and aims to help reduce drama in farm family dynamics.

For more information about Elaine and Lydia’s work, please click here.

 

Lydia’s Perspective

‘The mindset shift that needs to happen in agriculture is that communication and conflict is not bad. You can have good conflict, which in farm transition is what can ignite the creativity that is needed to get things done. Running a farm, and working through a farm transition is complex, but that does not mean it has to be complicated. We are passionate about sharing tools and insights that can help farm families and teams be in spaces that feel constructive and generative. Sometimes that means addressing tension, conflict and communication challenges to make the next steps in farm and ranch transition. We are passionate about the work we do. Learning better communication and conflict resolution skills is within farmers control and can be embraced as a risk management strategy for their operation and help with family dynamics and future planning.’

 

Elaine Froese will be joining remotely and will be covering an afternoon session on ‘Finding Fairness in Farm Transition’

  • – Have you ever had a fight over what the family thinks is fair?
  • – How do we tell our non-farming children they are not getting a RAW deal ?
  • – What can we do to get the family to the table to talk about this ?
  • – Fairness means different things to different farm team members and the non-business heirs.

 

Session solutions:

  • – Learn to ask powerful questions to uncover what fairness means to each individual involved in your farm transition process.
  • – Glean better conflict resolution language to help you navigate tough yet courageous conversations to transfer assets and build harmony in your farm family.
  • – Activate the FAIR approach of financial transparency, attitudes towards money, intentions, and roles and rebels approaches.
  • – Develop your why (your intent) and get certainty for your family!
  • – Know the questions to ask and how to get better understanding of what fairness looks like to you, and each family member. Questions about debt servicing, gifting, farm viability, entitlement and defining reasonable expectations.

 

Elaine says, ‘The emotional factors affecting planning can be managed to help folks get clarity of expectations, certainty of timelines and agreements, and a commitment to act! Once you start talking openly great solutions can be created! Families who stop the conflict avoidance dance are relieved to find out that expressing emotion and creating solutions can be done in a safe and respectful manner. You get the behaviour you accept on your farms, so start looking for new ways to reach out and adapt to each other’s needs. When needs are met, conflict decreases.’