Shoebox to Strategy: Organizing Your Farm Legacy
Shoebox to Strategy:
Organizing Your Farm Legacy
A workshop series to organize essential documents and financial information to better prepare for estate planning – saving you time, money, and stress.
Overview
Every farm knows it should organize essential documents and financial information — but the task is easy to delay. This online workshop series from UW–Madison Extension helps you finally get it done.
Across several weeks, Shoebox to Strategy will help farm and family members work step-by-step to build a centralized, organized collection of key documents, records, and asset information that protects the farm in the event of an accident, illness, or untimely death.
By gathering and organizing your farm’s vital records, you’ll be better prepared for meetings with attorneys, accountants, and transition planning professionals — saving you time, money, and stress.
The series combines guided virtual instruction and one in-person workshop to help you move from “I need to do this someday” to “It’s finally done.”
What Will I Learn?
- Organize essential personal, legal, and financial documents for quick access during emergencies.
- Inventory farm assets and important records needed for transition planning.
- Create a Shoebox to Strategy binder and spreadsheet to organize important information for continuing your farm’s legacy.
- Work through farm-specific questions and templates to document your transition goals.
- Compare different farm transfer or distribution scenarios.
- Prepare for meetings with legal and financial professionals — potentially reducing the cost and time of estate planning.
Helped me get organized. Will save our children a load of grief should we pass away unexpectedly.
– 2025 PARTICIPANT
Wonderful road map to get organized, feel confident in your plans and think about how you want your farm legacy to carry on.
– 2025 PARTICIPANT
This program is a great tool to guide farm succession planning.
– 2025 PARTICIPANT
What Will I Need?
To participate in this workshop series, you will need:
- A device with internet access: We recommend using a computer to complete this course. You may also access the online course through your phone, tablet, or other mobile device. You must have internet access.
- A camera and microphone for Zoom sessions are recommended but not required.
- Spreadsheet Software: Choose either OpenOffice (free download; for PC or Mac) or Microsoft Office (for PC or Mac).
Frequently Asked Questions
Here, you’ll find answers to common questions about our program.
For more information, contact Joy Kirkpatrick at joy.kirkpatrick@wisc.edu, 608-263-3485 or Kelly Wilfert at kelly.wilfert@wisc.edu, 608-263-5798.
Who should attend?
Farm owners, family members, or successors who want to organize their farm’s critical information and strengthen their transition or emergency preparedness.
Do I need anything prepared in advance?
Participants will receive templates and guidance before each virtual session to help them gather materials throughout the series. The time commitment for these assignments may vary, depending on the size and scope of each operation.
Approximately how much time will these workshops take?
Participants are required to attend 3 virtual sessions every other week, each lasting 1.5 hours. Additionally, participants are expected to attend and a 5-hour, in-person workshop. There will be an optional follow-up virtual session after the in-person workshop.
Registration Information
Early bird price is $175 per farm through December 31, 2025. Starting January 1, 2026, the cost of the workshop series is $225 per farm. This allows up to two people from each farm to participate in the program.
2026 Workshop Dates:
Friday, January 30, 2026 from 12-1:30 pm – Session 1 (virtual)
Friday, February 13, 2026 from 12-1:30 pm – Session 2 (virtual)
Friday, February 27, 2026 from 12-1:30 pm – Session 3 (virtual)
Friday, March 13, 2026, from 10:00 am- 3:00 pm – Session 4 (in-person)
Instructors and participants will meet for an in-person workshop on Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Phoenix Center, 100 South Orange St., Richland Center, WI 53581, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Friday, April 3, 2026, from 12-1:30 pm – Optional follow-up session (virtual)
