Succession Stories | 4 | The Messy Middle
About this episode
This episode follows the Fritz family as they navigate the complexities of farm succession and land ownership.
When Jake Fritz moved back home at 19, four generations were trying to make a living off the same acres northwest of Chester, Montana. With no succession plan from the senior generation, Jake's mother Dena and her husband Jim were leasing land from Jake's grandpa and great-grandma, giving away a quarter of their crop while carrying all the operating costs. This episode follows the Fritzes through an era of piecing their farm back together: buying land from relatives, absorbing sudden expenses when Grandpa Errol decided to sell, and slowly shifting authority to Jake. Their story captures what it looks like to work through the "messy middle" of succession to protect the future of a 115-year-old homestead.
More episodes of Reframing Rural
- Bonus | A New Angle: "Megan Torgerson is reframing rural" & "Rural vs. Urban with Trevor Brown"
- Succession Stories | Bonus | The Tilt of the World with Joe Wilkins, Author of "The Entire Sky"
- Succession Stories | Bonus | Our Season Partner, Winnett ACES
- Succession Stories | Bonus | Megan's Family Succession Story
- Succession Stories | Bonus | A Roadmap to Farm and Ranch Succession Planning
- Succession Stories | 5 | Back to Grass
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