Farm Transitions Conference Will Provide Expert Insight to Succession Planning Questions

Jan 09, 2024

If you’re looking for answers to your farm transition questions or simply wanting to review your current plan, consider attending the 2024 Farm Transitions Conference Feb. 8-9 in Ames.

This two-day event is organized by the Beginning Farmer Center at Iowa State University and features locally and nationally recognized speakers, as well as farmers and producers from Iowa.

Day one: Transition planning

The first day will focus on transition planning, with a welcome address by Bill Northey, former Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. He will talk about his experiences with Iowa agriculture and the importance of transition planning in the face of uncertainty.

David Oppedahl, a policy advisor with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, will discuss recent land values and inflation trends that are impacting agriculture, followed by the “2024 Ag Market Outlook” by Chad Hart, extension grain market economist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

According to the 2022 Iowa Farmland Ownership and Tenure survey, 80% of Iowa farmland is owned by someone not planning to sell. As such, the importance of farm leases and negotiations will continue to increase for both beginning and established farmers as well as farmland owners. Ann Johanns, program specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will join extension ag economist Alejandro Plastina and Jeff Troendale, of Hertz Farm Management, for a discussion on the critical role of farm leases in long-term business planning.

In the afternoon, speakers will address topics including Iowa’s new retired farmer income tax law, beginning farmer loans and tax credits, tools for transferring farm management, and the USDA’s role in supporting farmers.

The first day will conclude with a presentation by Kiley Fleming, of the Iowa Mediation Service, on the importance of communicating your goals to the people who are impacted by your decisions. Attendees will learn practical ways to navigate generational differences and reframe difficult conversations.

“Whether you want to begin farming, you are looking to transition your farm to the next generation, or you are a producer somewhere in between, this conference is for you,” said Kitt Tovar Jensen, manager of the Beginning Farmer Center. “Come learn about opportunities, pitfalls to avoid and tools required for a successful farm transition.”

Day two: Estate planning

The second day will cover many themes in estate planning. Attendees will be empowered to make strategic decisions after learning more about the available legal tools, potential tax implications and the basics of farmland appraisals.

Jeanne Bernick, of Pinion (formerly K·Coe Isom), will discuss the role strategic thinking plays in the success of any operation, whether just beginning or fine-tuning after years of planning.

The same morning, Jennifer Harrington, staff attorney with the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State, will discuss the different types of asset ownership that can affect farm succession, as well as common legal tools like wills, trusts and substitute decision-making options.

Harrington’s colleague, Kristine Tidgren, will discuss how taxes will impact the transfer of assets. Tidgren is the director of the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State University. This session will cover potential tax liabilities that can occur during life and upon death.

Afternoon speakers include Paul Dietmann, of Compeer Financial, who will discuss the various strategies and resources available for accessing farmland. Catherine DeLong, water quality program manager with ISU Extension and Outreach, will discuss the pivotal role of conservation strategies in preserving agriculture’s legacy.

The conference will conclude with a panel discussion of farmers Kathy and Caroll Hoksbergen of Pella. The couple recently decided to sell their fourth-generation farm to new, non-family owners and will share their experiences and advice.

“I am really excited about this year’s event and the lineup of quality speakers who will be presenting,” said Tovar Jensen. “We have attorneys, tax preparers, lenders, mediators and everyone else associated with farm succession. Equally important, we have actual farmers who will share real-world experiences.”

Register to attend in person or through a live-streamed webinar by Jan. 31 to reserve your complimentary copy of Estate and Succession Planning for the Farm, a 100-page workbook published this fall by ISU Extension and Outreach.

Source : iastate.edu

Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.