On this episode of Stockmanship for the Mind I have a great discussion with Claire Smith and Roy Jackson, Rural Partners in WR Partners accountancy firm, which is based in Shropshire, Wales and Cheshire. Claire and Roy are both from farming backgrounds and have a combined experience of almost 40 years of working with farmers and other rural businesses, so they bring a huge wealth of expertise to the table.

We cover some of the technical reasons why planning for the handover of a farming business to the next generation is just so important. The updated inheritance tax law has brought this thorny issue to a head for many farmers and it has never been more crucial to plan ahead.

Everyone knows this… So why can it be such a difficult discussion to have on farm? Why do so many farmers just want to bury their head in the sand?

Partly, the high value of agricultural assets means that there is a lot to play for, but we also take a look at some of the emotional aspects that are almost inevitably tied up with passing on the family farm.

Come along to this episode for a fresh look at succession planning with Roy and Claire.

We all know that difficult topics can make for difficult conversations... how do we make that easier? How do we make sure that we give ourselves the best chance of a productive chat, where everyone feels better and you can actually resolve an issue... or at least make some headway?

When's the best time to tackle something tricky? Is it when we feel like our blood is boiling and we can't rest until we sort something (or somebody!) out? Would we train our dog in that state of mind??

Feeling under pressure? Does it look like life is throwing ALOT at you? I hear you!

What can we do about this? Nobody wants to feel stressed all the time but sometimes it kind of looks like that's the only real response to a situation. Is there anything we can see about this with fresh eyes?