Death, Taxes and Invasive Species

I always appreciate the joke every Purdue Basketball season of “Death, Taxes, and Matt Painter”. But not everyone has to face Matt Painter and the seven-foot-something he has on the team that year. For most of us, the three inevitabilities of our normal lives are indeed: death, taxes, and invasive species.

First, let’s talk about Death. It is something I feel all too familiar and close to in the recent months. After experiencing my own family tragedy of losing my three close family members all at once in a car accident this January, to now; witnessing nearby families go through unexpected losses of loved ones as well. No one prepares you for the hurt, regrets, and overall grief. Time for everyone else keeps moving, and sooner or later, you realize you have to get up and start moving with it too. We all know death is inevitable, but for those left behind, it’s not just grief to deal with; there are also now the “taxes” of it all. The regrets of conversations not had. When it comes to farm families, the proverbial and very real taxes of an unexpected loss only make a hard time harder.

The best gift you can give yourself and the ones that succeed you is a plan. The Purdue Extension Farm Succession Team is here for landowners, farm families, AND Family Businesses that want to make plans. We can help educate you and help equip you and your family members to have those hard conversations. We can help you prepare for meetings with attorneys and accountants so that when God wills you, your loved ones can focus on grieving you and not the taxes.

Now for your third inevitable in life, invasive species. And I do mean it, I think everyone will have to deal with these in their lifetime. Probably already have. Off the top of my head, Ash trees. Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive species that has impacted many land owners. If you walked down the street in the spring and thought, “Gosh, the air smells terrible… almost like dead fish!” That was a Callery Pear. As I drive to work, I see those and Asian bush honeysuckle everywhere in the ditches. Even in town, I see so many residents with a Tree of Heaven growing next to their house foundations. I want to knock on their doors and tell them, but then I would get nothing done all day, every day. Now you might not own property and tell me, “I don’t deal with invasive species.” But then I’ll tell you about the Master Gardener volunteer who told me she used to visit cousins on a lake up in Northeast Indiana. They slept on the boat each night together. But now the lake is infected with zebra mussels, and you don’t want to anchor overnight because they can attach after idling for too long. Not to mention, I personally used to go to a summer camp with those things. When the counselors recommend water shoes, they mean it. OUCH! I still can picture the screaming girl with a bloody foot.

I encourage you to educate yourself on these inevitabilities: Death, Taxes, and Invasive Species with these upcoming Extension Programs. Email me, Tricia Herr, at triciaherr@purdue.edu to learn more.

Invasive Species Class in Waveland – June 4, 11, & 18, 5-7 pm at the Waveland Fire Station

• Thursday, June 4: Introduction to Invasives
• Thursday, June 11: Invasive Fish & Aquatic Invertebrates
• Thursday, June 18: Invasive Aquatic Plants
• Please email or call to register! triciaherr@purdue.edu or 765-364-6363

Purdue Extension Farm Succession Team Programs (3):

1. Securing the Future: Legal Audits for Farm Families and Agricultural Success:
   Join the Purdue Extension Succession Planning Team for a FREE, live, virtual webinar series. Designed to help farm families navigate the legal side of transition planning. Learn how proactive legal audits can support a smoother, more successful transition to the next generation.
   • Free & virtual: 8 live webinar options. Attend one—or join them all
   • Next Programs are: June 22 – Contingency Planning/Code Red, June 29 – Operating & Buy-Sell Agreements, and July 13 – Personal Estate Planning
   • Register today and invest in your farm’s future! https://bit.ly/securingthefuture2026
2. Farm Family Meetings: Schedule a confidential meeting to start or revisit your succession plan with this link: https://bit.ly/ContactPurdueSuccession
3. Land of Opportunity: A Conference for Farmland Owners-This is a one-day conference being offered in two separate locations- Wabash (October 5^th) and Vigo Counties (October 6).

Tricia Herr is the Extension Educator | Agriculture & Natural Resources