{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Succession Stories | 4 | The Messy Middle","description":"When Jake Fritz moved back home at 19, four generations were trying to make a living off the same acres northwest of Chester, Montana. With no succession plan from the senior generation, Jake's mother Dena and her husband Jim were leasing land from Jake\u2019s grandpa and great-grandma, giving away a quarter of their crop while carrying all the operating costs. This episode follows the Fritzes through an era of piecing their farm back together: buying land from relatives, absorbing sudden expenses when Grandpa Errol decided to sell, and slowly shifting authority to Jake. Their story captures what it looks like to work through the \u201cmessy middle\u201d of succession to protect the future of a 115-year-old homestead. ","author_name":"Reframing Rural","author_url":"https:\/\/reframingrural.org","html":"