Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Mark McLaughlin Problem: how can we offset land vs. non-farm assets between heirs when values constantly change? We have one son who farms with us. Our other son has a great job two hours away. He appreciates the operation but will never come back to farm. We want to be fair to both, but […]

By: Myron Friesen Problem: How do you put a price on the livestock portion of a farming operation when estate planning? Our farm has both land and livestock. I think I know what we need to do with the land portion of our planning, but the livestock portion of our estate is the challenge. We […]

By: Laurie Bedord Every farm has a history, but the story of Arnold farm in Rushville, Indiana, is preserved better than most. From letters, diaries, and photos to a saddlebag medicine kit and furniture, the Arnolds believed in saving every slice of their history. For nearly 75 years, Eleanor Arnold has been discovering and documenting […]

By: Shawna Williamson Losing someone you love and then almost immediately having to take care of legal and financial matters is a difficult situation. During the past 30 years, I’ve advised numerous people how to perform the duties of executor. They are normally overwhelmed and frustrated. However, I reassure them that it will be OK, […]

By: Cassidy Walter September 1 marks the automatic oral lease renewal date in South Dakota and Iowa, but the experts say it’s time to turn a handshake agreement into a hand-signed agreement. While less common today, handshake or oral lease agreements are still at play in American agriculture. Read More

Ed Terry of Northfield, Minnesota, has celebrated major milestones in the past year. In addition to his family farm reaching its sesquicentennial, Terry retired after 51 years teaching agriculture and serving as an FFA advisor. Terry’s teaching career began in 1968 in Farmington, Minnesota. He had earned a degree in agricultural education because the family […]

By: Laurie Bedord Yield monitors, and the massive amount of data they generate, have provided farmers with information on crop performance for decades, but a comprehensive analysis of the entire operation is needed to maximize profit. While the yield maps created from that data offer insight on crop yield and characteristics such as moisture content, […]

By: Successful Farming Staff It’s harvest time, and that means rural motorists and farmers moving tractors and combines from field to field have to share the road. This often causes frustration for both parties, which can lead to unsafe decisions and deadly accidents. While only 19% of Americans live in rural areas, the U.S. Department […]

By: Agriculture.com Staff With harvest right around the corner, farmers are beginning to prep their equipment for the fall rush. In farming, timing is everything, and any unplanned downtime during the short harvest period can have an adverse effect on a farmer’s bottom line. As such, diligent farmers will invest significant time ensuring the combine […]

By: Dave Mowitz If you’ve ever failed to double-check a grain spreader mounting when tending to pre-harvest chores, you know what can happen. A suspension chain can come loose, and the spreader will operate in a lopsided manner not only not spreading grain but also eventually disintegrating spewing parts across the bin, which quickly became […]