Extension Workshop Planned on Managing Farmland and Transition Planning

Nov 29, 2023

By Chabella Guzman

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Agricultural Profitability and Nebraska Extension will present workshops in Sidney and Alliance for those planning and involved in farmland succession who want to learn more about the best strategies for managing and owning this asset and how it may impact the transition plan.

“So You’ve Inherited a Farm … Now What?” workshops will be held:

Dec. 13 in Alliance, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the office of Nebraska Extension in Box Butte County, 415 Black Hills Ave. Pre-registration is requested by Dec. 12, by calling the Nebraska Extension in Box Butte County at 308-762-5616

Dec. 14 in Sidney, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the South Platte Natural Resources District office, 551 Parkland Drive. Pre-registration is requested by Dec. 13, by calling the Nebraska Extension in Cheyenne County at 308-254-4455.

The workshop will cover Nebraska land industry topics for farms and ranches. Those include evaluating current trends in land values and cash rents, strategies for successful land transitions, lease provisions, legal considerations and managing communication and expectations among family members. Creating and adjusting estate plans will also be covered.

“We hear all the time from people who engaged in various stages of transitioning land involved in a farm or ranch,” said Jessica Groskopf, an agricultural economist with Nebraska Extension. “The dynamics surrounding succession differ for each operation, and this workshop provides the best management concepts and strategies for an effective transition.”

The program is free to attend, and light refreshments will be provided.

Source : unl.edu

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.