The Family in the Family Business

My dad has always told me blood is more important than the farm. It’s more important to keep the family together because that is not something you can get back once it’s gone – or it’s very hard to do. That has always been in my mind, but it wasn’t until I was reading Fault Lines: Fractured Families and How to Mend Themby Karl Pillemer, PhD, that it really sank in. He shared an Iroquois philosophy called the seventh-generation principle. In this view of the world, the Creator requires that we consider how our action today will affect the seventh generation after us. Yes, you read that right, seven generations after us.

Now I don’t think this is really a stretch given what we do. Farmers want to ensure the family business is here for generations to come. There is a lot of pride when you can say “I’m a 5^th generation farmer.”

It gives us an amazing connection to our ancestors that many don’t have. It’s also not a stretch when you think of conservation and environmental efforts. Farmers are ensuring the fields, infrastructure, opportunities are all here for years to come.

So what happens when you get a few generations out and there are siblings, cousins, etc. that have no interest in the farm and just want the cash, but there is a family member who wants the family business to continue? This tends to cause a lot of rifts in a family and as you are in the midst of it are you thinking only a year ahead and not generations ahead? Remember what you do today – how will that affect the seventh generation after you because whatever your action are today will have an impact. It’s your choice if it’s positive or negative.

Now don’t get me wrong, being a 5^th generation farmer myself and seeing my kids, the 6^th generation helping out on the farm, I can see many cross-roads of keeping the farm intact for generations to come. It starts to get messier the more people involved so going back to the goal of keeping the family over the family business is imperative in all discussions. It should be like a guiding light, a north star to help you navigate your actions and conversations. That’s how you can help keep the family and the family business.