NAGA News January/February 201632

W omen generally come to own businesses either by design (choice) or by

default through the death of a spouse or parent, or through divorce. Being a strong woman who can make deci-sions is a necessary attribute for being a business owner, but especially in the male dominated gamebird field.

By DesignJamie Mitman purchased Ringneck Hunting Preserve in New York State as a business from Gene and Peggy Bontrager in 2014. She had lived in that area for approxi-mately 10 years, work-ing in a local restaurant. Small town connections led her to work for a local farmer who suggested she work with Gene. This is the second year of the mentorship, and the transition is going well.

She notes she has not received much negative reaction to herself as owner, but admits some of the “old school” hunters will bypass her to ask Gene questions, used to him be-ing at the helm. Jamie adds, “A little advice I would add is: be confident with yourself, listen to experience, stay open minded to learn, and enjoy what you are doing!”

Before you need it, and while you are expanding the business and accumulating assets, establish permanent documents like a will and durable power of attorney. Update

them every five years or with life changes like marriage or births. Decide what you want done with your assets,

called an estate plan. Everyone, not just the rich, has an estate. Better for you to choose who will get your items. Lack of a will might mean the

government decides, which may not be the most favorable outcome....

Document end of life choices like medical care in a living will. What are your preferences for medical care, resuscitation options and memorial service? Advanced arrangements for funeral and burial options means you make decisions without being in the grips of grief, easily persuaded to purchase non-essential items. Would you really want a fancy casket or prefer your survivors have money to pay bills?

Select an executor to handle your estate (all of your property), finances, debts and everything else. Money disputes quickly divide family. If your family is cooperative, your executor could be a family member. If there is

Women and Children In the Shooting Sports by Peg Ballou

Herstory: Women-Owned Businesses in the Industry

Stats on Women-Owned BusinessesVery few statistics are avail-able for women owned agri-cultural businesses, especially the gamebird industry where many of our hunt clubs may not be categorized as agricultural. In 2012, over 1/3 of all nonfarm and non-publicly-held busi-nesses are women-owned, up from 28.8% in 2007. A 2012 study shows the share of U.S. farms operated by women nearly tripled over the past three decades. In 2007, women operated 14 percent of all U.S. farms, up from 5 percent in 1978. Secondary operators, women as co-owners, in-creased the number of women farmers to 1 million.

The USDA reports in its 2012 Census of Agriculture the number of women farmers in the United States actually de-creased by 2 percent from that 2007 figure. Farms with women principal operators decreased 6 percent between 2007 and 2012; the total number of farms and principal operators declined 4 percent in that time.

“Be confident with yourself, listen to experience,

stay open minded to learn, and enjoy what you are doing!”

— Jamie Mitman

33NAGA NewsJanuary/February 2016

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already discord, then select someone outside the family like a lawyer or trusted authority. Some folks even add a phrase in their will that exempt heirs from any inheritance if they dispute the will.

Meanwhile, learn wealth produc-ing skills and wealth preserving skills that not only make you marketable, but help you cope with life in general. The more options you have in life, the better prepared to cope with life’s changes, should you be the survivor.

By Divorce: Division of AssetsSusan Erratobe inherited her busi-ness through divorce, splitting off her plastics anti-pick devices busi-ness from the gamebird farm run for 25 years on the family ranch. It was a business she knew, could do from her home, and was willing to run. She was a worker on the ranch, and had managed the money issues. She says “Get to know the business, under-stand the finances. You don’t have to actually do everything; you can hire workers, but be aggressive enough to know the business.”

There were times in earlier years when traveling together through dust storms or black ice when she wondered if the outcome might not be good. Planning ahead, she says, is not being negative, it is being smart.

Know what business assets are worth, purchase sufficient life and long term health insurance to cover debt, provide for survivors and burial expenses, and business operating expenses.

By DeathIt was a sad phone call, an order can-cellation of the worst kind. One of our clients had gone into surgery for a seemingly simple illness, and emerged with a life ending medical diagnosis. They had been married 42 years with no children, and now Shelly was alone to deal with life’s financial, personal, business, practical decisions. Like many surviving widows, she could not continue the business due to lack of information Herstory, continued on page 34

Recipe

Pheasant Breast SupremeFrom Better Homes New Cookbook, 15th edition.

Preheat an oven to 250° F (120° C).

1. Place each breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using flap side of meat mallet, pound pheasant lightly until about 1/4 inch thick. Combine flour and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Coat pheasant on both sides with flour mixture.

2. In a large skillet cook pheasant, half at a time, in 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat for 3–4 minutes until no longer pink (170°), turning occasionally. Remove from skillet, keep warm.

3. In same skillet cook mushrooms, shallots and celery in 1 tablespoon butter until tender, stirring often. Remove from heat. Carefully add sherry and lemon juice, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Add 1/2 cup broth to skillet. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cook over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates (should have about 2 tablespoons), stirring often. Whisk in whipping cream and sour cream. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until mixture is reduced to about 1 1/4 cups. Return pheasant to skillet; heat through.

4. In a very large skillet cook garlic in 2 tablespoons butter for 1 minute. Add spinach. Cook and toss just until wilted. Serve pheasant with sauce over spinach. Sprinkle with almonds.

4 skinless, boneless pheasant breast halves

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup cream sherry or chicken broth

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup dairy sour cream

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups torn fresh spinach

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

NAGA News January/February 201634

or physical strength, the assets were sold and the business closed.

Death is not easy to talk about, and easy to avoid preparing for. Before you need to make tough deci-sions, have The Talk about what your spouse, business partner, or fam-ily would have you do if the worst happened to them. Those Talks are often put off due to apprehension confronting end of life realities. Having the uncomfortable conversa-tions before needed is much better

than the stress after a passing, when overcome by grief and indecision. Severe emotions can incapacitate decision making, so having this set-tled before hand will not only create peace of mind, but also alleviate the pressures to make bad decisions. So assemble a good team of trusted ad-visors, including your minister, CPA, financial advisor, and estate lawyer.

Approximately 6 months before the death of Sondra Maness’ hus-band, the LLC she and her husband John shared was changed into her

son Jeffrey’s name, although some amount limits required items like vehicles and farm equipment to be transferred over several years. Sondra had learned the value of this through previous experience with her parents. She suggests possibly an irrevocable trust might be a good business structure for passing on assets to future generations. Some business require separate bank ac-counts for farm, household, LLC, and savings accounts.

Take care of yourself. The death of a loved one will affect you for years to come, and everyone seems to have advice on decisions you need to make. However, you will need to decide what is best for you during such a difficult time. Being physically and emotionally strong may seem impossible during the shock of a loss, but it is essential to take time to treat yourself well.

You are not alone. There are stan-dard stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and eventual acceptance), although nothing seems standard when it is your grief. All the “Firsts” — the first birthday, first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first anniversary- are the hardest. Others have traveled this road, so accept help and comfort from neighbors, church family and friends. The better support network in place before a life changing event, the better an adjustment will be.

Do not make big decisions in the first year like selling the house and moving to another area, as most folks regret that later. Day to day finances like bills, car payments, and living arrangements still need to be maintained. Don’t let salespersons talk you into buying financial prod-ucts you don’t need.

Give yourself permission to grieve. Each of us grieves in our own way, with some silently bury-ing themselves in work, while others feel a pressing need to talk out each decision. An aviation friend whose husband died from pancreatic cancer put flying on hold until she had re-covered sufficiently emotionally and

Herstory, continued from page 33

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situationally to resume it as a tribute to him, scattering his ashes at various stages of training.

Secure multiple copies of the death certificate, usually through the funeral home. One widow did not receive her husband’s death certificate for four months when the hospital lost it, causing extreme hardship due to inability to access bank accounts, vehicle titles, and numerous financial records.

Titles for cars, houses/land/real estate, access to bank accounts should be in dual names, minimum. Once a death occurs they will need to be changed. Shelly advises: “Don’t be the lazy little woman and leave everything in his name.”

Maintain an “In the Event of My Death” file of accounts, contact people, social security numbers, and titles. Safe com-binations, account passwords, personal letters of encourage-ment, and copies of important documents like wills, birth and marriage certificates and insur-ance policies should be included.

Many good resources from local ministries help with this phase of life when you are vulnerable and raw from loss. The online Surviving Spouse Financial Checklist is an excellent resource, a great starting place for financial preparedness. The link is listed below, or can be found on the NAGA website. H

This is my last, and possibly most important, article as editor of the

NAGA News. I appreciate all those who have given me support during the past two and a half years, and wish Dan all the best with the future issues and all the other duties of the Communications Directory. — PB

Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for a future that only he can see.— Corrie Ten Boom

Herstory article sources:6 Things to Do Before Your

Spouse Dies, http://www.forbes.com/sites/barbarastan-ny/ 2011/09/13/6-things-to-do-before-your-spouse-dies/

A To-Do List for the Surviving Spouse By Susan B. Garland, September 1, 2011 http://www.kiplinger.com/printstory.php?pid=8242

Characteristics of Women Farm Operators and Their Farms, (Robert Hoppe and Penni Korb, 51 page Economic Information Bulletin No. EIB-111, April 2013)

National Women’s Business Council fact sheets https://www.nwbc.gov/facts

Surviving Spouse Financial Checklist - www.balancepro.net/education/pdf/surviving-spouse.pdf