Deciding Inheritance Issues for Agricultural Property
In many parts of Oklahoma, landowners must answer questions about how agricultural land must pass to loved ones after the owner’s death or incapacity. Questions about how estates can be passed on and what parties who do not inherit ownership of land will receive are common in such cases. Understandably, many Oklahoma agriculture and farm owners discover that it is more difficult to decide how to transfer this property than it is other types of land. Emotional Connection to Land For the owners of non-agricultural land, the transfer of property at the end of life is generally a non-emotional process. Most agricultural landowners, however, have a deep connection to the land. Many of these owners recall the process of having to buy out siblings as well as the earlier generation. As a result, while decisions can often be made more quickly and unemotionally for other landowners, this just is not so for the majority of farm owners. Operation Versus Land Uses When a person refers to a “farm,” this often includes both the operation of the land as well as the underlying land. Transferring a farm is unique because often the land is transferred differently than [...]