Rena Striegel of Transition Point Business Advisors Encourages Better Questions Around Farm Succession

Photo credits: Kirstie Veatch Photography

DES MOINES, IA, June 2026. Ask ten farm families whether succession planning is important, and most will answer yes without hesitation. Ask what the future of the operation should actually look like, however, and the conversation often becomes much quieter.

That difference has stood out to Rena Striegel throughout her career.

Working with agricultural families has convinced the President of Transition Point Business Advisors that succession is rarely slowed by a shortage of technical advice. More often, families become trapped by questions they never thought to ask each other.

“I’ve learned that the quality of a family’s decisions is often determined by the quality of the questions they’re willing to ask,” Striegel said. “When families become curious instead of defensive, they discover opportunities for understanding that they may not have realized were possible.”

Starting With the Wrong Conversation

When succession planning comes up, many families naturally turn their attention to ownership. They begin discussing estate plans, legal structures, or how land and other assets will eventually be transferred. Those are important conversations, but Striegel believes they often arrive too early in the process.

Before families decide who will own the operation, she encourages them to step back and ask a different question altogether: What future are we trying to create?

That conversation can reveal far more than a legal document ever could. Is the priority to keep the farm operating under family ownership? Does the next generation actually want to lead the business? What values should continue shaping decisions long after today’s owners have stepped away?

According to Striegel, families who spend time exploring those questions first often find that later decisions become easier because everyone is working toward the same outcome rather than protecting individual positions.

Questions Reveal More Than Answers

Over the years, Striegel has learned that assumptions rarely announce themselves. They settle quietly into everyday life.

Parents may believe they’ve made their intentions clear because they’ve mentioned retirement from time to time. Their children, meanwhile, may leave those conversations believing no decisions have been made at all. Siblings can spend years working side by side while carrying very different expectations for the business’s future.

No one is trying to mislead anyone. They’re simply filling the silence with their own interpretations.

That’s why Striegel encourages families to become curious before becoming certain. One thoughtful question asked at the right moment can uncover misunderstandings that might otherwise remain hidden for years.

Curiosity Opens the Door

Looking back, Striegel says the meetings she remembers most aren’t necessarily the ones where every issue was resolved. They are the conversations where people stopped trying to convince one another and started trying to understand one another.

She has watched discussions change when someone asked, “Help me understand why this matters to you,” instead of immediately defending a different point of view.

Those moments rarely produce instant solutions, but they often replace tension with understanding. Once people feel heard, they become more willing to explore possibilities together.

For Striegel, that shift is often where meaningful succession planning truly begins.

Looking Further Ahead

Raised on a dairy farm in What Cheer, Iowa, Striegel understands that family farms are built on far more than acreage or equipment. They represent years of shared effort, personal sacrifice, and family history.

Through Transition Point Business Advisors, she encourages agricultural families to give the same attention to conversations as they do to contracts. In her experience, the strongest succession plans grow from families willing to ask better questions, listen carefully to one another, and shape a shared vision before putting anything on paper.

More information about Transition Point Business Advisors 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 one of the leading authorities in agricultural and family business succession planning in the United States. Born on August 21, 1970, in What Cheer, Iowa, and raised on a dairy farm, Rena developed an early understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities of operating a multi-generational agricultural business. Her upbringing gave her firsthand insight into the realities of family farming and the importance of preserving both the business and the relationships behind it.

Rena earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central College in Pella, Iowa, and later completed her Master of Business Administration from the University of Iowa. Before specializing in succession planning, she built a successful career in financial services and advisory roles, gaining extensive experience in business planning, leadership development, family enterprise dynamics, and long-term strategic decision-making.

For more than twenty years, Rena has worked with farm families and family-owned businesses across the United States, helping them navigate some of the most important decisions they will ever make. Her work focuses on the human side of transition, addressing communication challenges, leadership development, family alignment, ownership transfer, and next-generation readiness. She is widely recognized for helping families move beyond uncertainty and conflict toward greater clarity, understanding, and continuity.

Rena is the creator of The DIRTT Project, a succession planning framework developed specifically for agricultural families. The program was designed to address the unique emotional, relational, and operational challenges that often accompany farm transitions. She is also the host of the Ag Inspo podcast, where she shares insights, stories, and practical guidance for agricultural leaders and family business owners.

Through her consulting work, workshops, speaking engagements, and educational programs, Rena continues to help families preserve their legacy while preparing future generations for leadership. Her practical experience, deep understanding of agricultural operations, and commitment to strengthening family businesses have made her a trusted advisor to farm families throughout the country.

About Transition Point Business Advisors

Transition Point Business Advisors helps agricultural and family-owned businesses prepare for leadership and ownership transition through succession planning, facilitation, communication, and leadership development.

Media Contact

Company Name: Transition Point Business Advisors

Contact Person: Rena Striegel

Email: support@strategyachievers.com

City: West Des Moines

Country: United States

Website: https://transitionpointba.com