The Nebraska Rural Response Hotline, together with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture Beginning Farm Tax Credit and Negotiations programs, and the Farm and Ranch Project of Legal Aid of Nebraska, are sponsoring free three- to four-hour workshops for farm and ranch families. These workshops will cover basic estate and succession planning (tools, considerations and decisions); the use of business entities in farm and ranch succession; finance and management issues in succession planning; transfer, death, and other tax issues, including the portability election; and options, buy-sell agreements, leases and preemptive rights. The aim of the program is to provide reliable information that may assist farm and ranch families in putting together business succession plans, or in reviewing their existing plans.

Joe Hawbaker, an agricultural law attorney, will discuss succession and estate tools, use of entities, and taxes. Dave Goeller, recently retired extension farm transition specialist, will discuss finance and management issues in the family context.

The workshops are scheduled for:

• Wednesday, Jan. 24 — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Village Auditorium, 110 W. Second St., Stuart, Nebraska. Lunch sponsored by Tri-County Bank.
• Thursday, Jan. 25 — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Old Brick Palace, 201 W. O’Neill Ave., Greeley, Nebraska. Lunch sponsored by Henderson State Bank.

The public is welcomed to attend. For registrations and questions, please call the Hotline at 1-800-464-0258.