A half century ago, with land values hovering around $500 to $1,000 per acre, there was little talk of succession plans. The sons (and daughters) with farming in mind would usually strike out on their own and rent a half section (if they were lucky) and forge an agreement with the parents to use their equipment. In my case, after I fulfilled my military commitments, the half section I wanted to rent was suddenly unavailable because of the landlord’s conclusion that I posed too great a risk