Nebraska Sixth-Generation Farmer Builds Succession One Drone at a Time

Adam Knapp planted his first 80 acres of soybeans at age 10. Today he is a senior in agribusiness at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, preparing to return to his family's farm in Ord, Neb., with a lucrative drone spraying business in tow.

Knapp built the enterprise from an opportunity passed along by his high school FFA advisor. The venture now serves both his family's operation and neighboring farms. "The drone spraying not only helps out our farm, but also helps out our neighbors," Adam said. It also lets the operation vertically integrate, adding internal control and timely application.

His father, Jay, currently owns and operates the farm. Adam and his older brother, Austin, are preparing to follow. For the Knapp family, succession means more than inheriting land, cattle and equipment. It means gradually transferring responsibility. Adam already develops the farm's herbicide plan and helps select crop varieties. His brother gravitates toward the cattle branch.

"Having a clear definition of the process of how we want to do everything and the roles that we want," Adam explained, "has been very beneficial." The roles remain distinct but overlap enough to provide accountability and keep the operation cohesive.

Jay and his wife, Kay, never pushed their sons either to return to the farm or to leave. That openness, Adam said, ultimately cemented the brothers' desire to come back. "I think one of the things our family has done really well is the opportunity to be involved in the family operation," he noted. Years of riding in the tractor's buddy seat and running a grain cart built the connection early. "I remember my mom and dad saying that if my mom wanted me to take a nap, she'd send me out with Dad to ride in the tractor, and I'd fall asleep in the buddy seat," he said.

Formal training has supplemented the on-farm preparation. The Engler Entrepreneurship Program at UNL, led by director and mentor Tom Field, has sharpened Adam's business skills. Field's family business class pushes discussions about direction, roles, ownership and compensation. "This class has been a way to provide resources, information and introspection to people who are going into what's both a wonderful and hard environment," Field said.

Field grew up in family businesses himself, watching the ups and downs of a family ranching enterprise, his mother's restaurant and neighboring operations. That experience led him to a consulting career focused on family businesses, alongside teaching. His advice to the incoming generation is direct. "To the younger generation, the No. 1 priority is to prepare yourself to be a good owner, by figuring out what you need to get better at," Field said.

Adam is already doing that. He is developing ownership within the operation's feedlot cattle and now carries responsibility for decisions that directly affect the farm's finances. "It's been very beneficial for me to have some skin in the game," he said. "It's allowed me to invest more into the operation. Everything we do on the farm matters a little bit more." The added responsibility has forced him to mature and understand the financial implications of decisions, he said. "When succession does occur fully, I'll be more prepared to take over the farm."

Field argues the model deserves wider support. "People should support entrepreneurship from the family business perspective, because it's a way to stabilize and strengthen the foundation under which wealth is generated for the family and for the community," he said. He urges the active generation to start hard conversations early. "Have the hard conversations and recognize that there is more than one way to do things right. And the sooner you start having these conversations, the better chance you have of building something that will last."

For Adam, succession planning means building entry and exit plans for every family member before a transition becomes necessary. His next steps include more crop production responsibility: soil sampling, software management and a larger role in marketing decisions. His advice to peers is blunt. "Just simply show up and be involved in something," he said. "There's a lot of opportunities in life that come available if you show up, work hard and act like you want to be there, learn something and take something home."

As a sixth-generation farmer, Adam treats the family operation's future as something to earn now, not inherit later. With responsibilities, ownership stakes and hard conversations already underway, the Knapp farm's transition is happening in the present tense.