Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Mark McLaughlin My parents are in their 70s and own 1,200 acres. I have two off-farm siblings. Every time I talk about farm succession, Mom says, “I’m sure everyone will just get along.” Dad jokes, “Just let ’em fight it out!” Dad suffered a heart attack last spring, and we’re not laughing anymore. Our […]

By: Myron Friesen My parents, especially my dad, always tell me that their plan will “take care of me,” but I have no idea what they mean by that. Unfortunately, in the past I have had other people say, “Trust me,” and then they did not keep their word and it cost me. The stakes […]

By: Successful Farming Staff The land market momentum that began in late 2021 accelerated into 2022 and was driven by competition for high quality cropland, resulting in record sales and overall increases in land values across the country, according to Farmers National Company. In most cases, landowners selling property experienced values never-before-seen for their farmland. […]

By: Laurie Bedord Established in 1908, Granstrom Farms was originally a conventional row crop and cow- calf operation. However, the Granstroms have always tended to swim upstream. The Nebraska family’s latest move is a shift to raising only organically certified crops and experimenting with autonomous machinery. “One of my and my dad’s character flaws is […]

By: Alex Gray Verdant Robotics has raised $46.5 million in funding to scale its robotics and to accelerate wide use of its regenerative and precision ag technology. Verdant’s primary product, “Robotics-As-A-Service” (RaaS), is currently being used on a wide variety of specialty crops across thousands of acres, with orders pending for tens of thousands more, […]

By: Laurie Bedord Like many rural Americans, the Leffler family dealt with a broadband connection fraught with problems. For years, they relied on DSL to help them run their Americus, Kansas, row crop and cattle operation. Short for digital subscriber line, DSL was introduced in the late 1980s and uses existing phone lines, making it […]

By: Laurie Bedord Tillage has come a long way since John Deere invented the self-scouring steel plow in 1837. Once a basic tool for turning the soil, the implement is being developed into a machine that gives producers the ability to vary tillage settings based on changing soil types, field conditions, conservation practices, and topography. […]

By: Courtney Leeper-Girgis Sprayer drones had hit the agricultural market by 2018, but Taylor Moreland was having trouble finding a dealer who understood agriculture in the Midwest. He wanted to solve a problem for the farmers he serves through his Pioneer seed dealership, Moreland Seed & Soil, in Centralia, Missouri. Many of his customers rely […]

By: P. J. Huffstutter CHICAGO, Jan 8 (Reuters) – The American Farm Bureau Federation and machinery manufacturer Deere & Co signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday that ensures farmers have the right to repair their own farm equipment or go to an independent technician. As the agriculture sector accelerates its adoption of technology, the […]

By: Cassidy Walter The morning of August 10, 2020, Dave Hommel was walking his fields in Grundy County, Iowa. The wind was picking up and he knew a big storm was on its way when he saw oak trees starting to bend. The derecho was coming with wind speeds exceeding 120 mph. Read More