What are prairie strips and how are they beneficial for farmers?
There’s a new soil and water quality strategy that’s steadily getting more and more attention recently: prairie strips. Prairies are nothing new to Iowa, but planting prairie strips has been gaining traction thanks to work put in by researchers and farmers through the Scienced-Based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) program at Iowa […]
Why conservation matters to farmers
The best farmers are conservationists. Think about it: To succeed in farming requires a commitment to protecting assets and investments. As far as farm operations are concerned, there is no asset more important than land. Proper conservation practices protect land. They keep the land producing reliably year after year and keep farmland profitable. Farmers who […]
Are you prepared to buy farmland?
Buying farmland is a significant step for any producer or investor to take. It doesn’t matter whether you are a farmer or a land owner with tenant farmers, increasing the amount of land under your stewardship is a big decision that shouldn’t be rushed into. There’s a lot of research and weighing of pros and […]
Your guide to fixed vs. flexible cash leases for farmland
Farmland lease agreements vary widely. To cover every single type and dive into all the details would take a good chunk of time. So, for this blog post, we will cover cash leases, both the fixed cash lease and the flexible cash lease. Both of these lease types are very common, especially here in Iowa. […]
How to set yourself up for success when searching for a tenant farmer
Finding a good tenant for your farmland should be a landowner’s highest priority if they are not going to farm the land themselves and still want the land to stay active and generate income. However, as with any business relationship, it takes time to find a good tenant. You want someone who works as hard […]
Selling farmland: What you need to know
Farmers and farmland owners can opt to sell farmland for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common reasons are retirement, seeking to cash in on land that was purchased as an investment and the need to reduce financial strain by liquidating assets. No matter the reason why you might be looking to sell […]
How much is your farm worth?
Even if you are not trying to sell your farm, knowing what it’s worth is still valuable information every property owner should have. It’s a needed number that can help with securing credit, estate planning, determining lease rates, paying taxes, succession planning and so much more. However, it can be understandably hard to put a […]
What you should know about farmland auctions
Land auctions are a very popular method of selling farmland. But for those who may not know much about the details of farming or owning land – such as heirs, new investors and new farmers – trying to understand how land auctions work can take a little bit of research and information from the right […]
Why finding the farm management partner is key to handling risk
Farming is a risky business. There’s no way around it. However, farmers and farmland owners don’t have to manage the risk alone. There are many resources available that can provide strategies for handling risk. There are also people and professionals who are ready to help navigate risks in agriculture. This includes farm management, something that is […]
Here’s when to consider buying farmland
Buying farmland is an investment that can pay off, but it is by no means a simple investment strategy. If done right, investing in farmland can lead to income through production, a potential offset in annual taxes and portfolio diversification. There are many factors to consider before buying more land to farm or invest in. […]