-- Rena Striegel, President of Transition Point Business Advisors, has expanded the The DIRTT Project as more farm families look for help navigating conversations that many admit they have avoided for years.
Photo credits: Kirstie Veatch Photography
Striegel has spent much of her career sitting across from parents and adult children, trying to figure out what happens next for the farm. Sometimes the tension is obvious. Other times, nobody is arguing at all, but nobody is really talking either.
That silence is something she sees often in agriculture.
A father may assume his son already knows the long-term plan. A daughter returning to the operation may quietly wonder whether there is actually a future role for her. Years can pass without those questions being addressed directly.
“Too many farm families wait until there’s a crisis to begin talking about the future,” Striegel said. “My passion is helping families create space for honest conversations before stress and uncertainty start making the decisions for them.”
More Families Asking for Help Earlier
The expansion of the The DIRTT Project comes as succession planning becomes a growing concern across rural communities. Many farm owners are approaching retirement, while the next generation is trying to understand where they fit into the business's future.
Striegel said the issue is rarely a lack of care. In most cases, families want the same thing. They want the farm to continue and for relationships to stay intact throughout the process.
What often gets in the way is uncertainty.
Some families do not know how to begin the conversation. Others worry that raising ownership or leadership issues will create conflict. As a result, discussions are delayed until an illness, financial issue, or major life event forces decisions to happen quickly.
Creating Space for Real Conversations
The DIRTT Project was built around the idea that families need more than legal documents to navigate transition successfully.
Striegel said attorneys and accountants play an important role, but paperwork alone cannot resolve misunderstandings inside a family. She has worked with operations that had formal plans in place, yet family members still had completely different expectations for leadership, responsibility, and the farm's future direction.
The expanded program includes additional guided sessions and practical discussion tools designed to help families talk through those issues before frustration builds.
Raised on a dairy farm in What Cheer, Iowa, Striegel understands how personal these decisions become. In farming, the business is often tied directly to identity, history, and family relationships. That reality shapes how she approaches succession work today.
Looking Beyond the Immediate Crisis
Striegel believes one of the biggest mistakes families make is waiting for certainty before they begin planning. In her experience, progress usually starts with smaller conversations that gradually build trust and direction.
The goal of the The DIRTT Project is not to pressure families into immediate decisions. It is to help them start talking sooner, while they still have options and flexibility.
More information about the The DIRTT Project is available at https://transitionpointba.com/. Rena Striegel also shares insights through LinkedIn and Instagram.
About Rena Striegel
Rena Striegel is the President of Transition Point Business Advisors and a nationally recognized authority in agricultural and family business succession planning. Raised on a dairy farm in What Cheer, Iowa, she developed an early understanding of the connection between family, land, and legacy. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central College in Pella, Iowa, and later completed her MBA at the University of Iowa. Early in her career, she worked in financial services and advisory roles before focusing her work on agricultural succession planning.
With more than twenty years of experience advising multi-generational farm families across the United States, Striegel is known for helping families navigate leadership transitions, communication challenges, and long-term continuity planning. She is the creator of the The DIRTT Project and host of the Ag Inspo podcast, where she shares insights on succession, leadership, and the future of family agriculture.
About Transition Point Business Advisors
Transition Point Business Advisors specializes in succession planning for agricultural and family-owned businesses. The firm provides facilitation, communication support, and transition planning guidance to help families prepare for long-term continuity across generations.
Contact Info:
Name: Rena Striegel
Email: Send Email
Organization: Transition Point Business Advisors
Website: https://transitionpointba.com
Release ID: 89193487
Google
RSS