Willmar Area Community Foundation Director of Donor Relations Kevin Dietrich and Executive Director Sara Carlson are hopeful farmers and other ag producers will remember the community when preparing their legacies. Shelby Lindrud / West Central Tribune
LASTING LEGACY
Donation of farm assets can plant a lasting community legacy
By Shelby Lindrud | West Central Tribune WILLMAR — In the 2017 Census of Agriculture from the USDA, there were 1,220 farms and 1,968 ag producers in Kandiyohi County. The vast majority of the producers — 1,824 people — were over the age of 35, with 662 age 65 and older. Those numbers show that the county’s agriculture base is aging and, over the next several years, many will probably be getting out of the business altogether. The Willmar Area Community Foundation, a charitable nonprofit that gifts grant money to various community causes, is already seeing that change. Over the next five Page 26 – November 2022 – West Central Tribune
years, there will be an estimated $7.5 million worth of ag assets changing hands. “We are seeing the largest transfer of wealth in the history of the world,” said WACF Director of Donor Relations Keven Dietrich. “And that is happening right here as well. To be on the front side of that, and to let ag producers know there are options is huge.” As farmers age, retire and eventually pass away, the community not only loses an important economic force in the county, but also one of the most reliably charitable groups of people.
