Author Archives: admin

Retired Farmer Writes An Open Letter to American Agriculture

By Glen Moeller, Retired Farmer & Iowa Landowner Recently, I came across a letter I wrote in April 1997 to the chairman of the Iowa Corn Growers recommending that we as an Association should support the expansion of the hog industry in Iowa.  The consolidation that has occurred since 1997 has given the livestock industry […]

“Land Rich Dirt Poor” | What does it mean to be Rich?

By Mike Downey, Land, Lease & Farm Succession Consultant In the article, “Inheritance is a gift, not a right”, we quoted a retiring farmer saying “We are land rich but dirt poor.”  This was his assessment after review of he and his wife’s estate after 50 years of farming and building a respectable land base. […]

The Lost Art of Using a Land Contract for Buying & Selling Farmland

By Mike Downey, Land, Lease & Farm Succession Consultant A common question we receive from young and beginning farmers is how can they position themselves for renting and purchasing land.  Often times they are focused on the unthinkable task of bidding against their neighbors the next time a farm comes up for sale or rent […]

Perfect storm looms in agriculture again

Original Article Link: https://www.agupdate.com/iowafarmertoday/opinion/columnists/farm_transition/perfect-storm-looms-in-agriculture-again/article_414a12f2-45bc-11e9-8af9-8bb9191d4209.html In 1992, I had the good fortune to meet my business mentor at my very first college interview. He told me that 10 years in the future, I would be the same person that I was that day with the exception of the books I would read and the people I would […]

Matching & Mentoring the Next Generation – 1 Landowner, 1 Producer & 1 Farm at a time

By Steve Bohr & Mike Downey, Next Generation Ag Advocates Many of us have stories and memories of our Dad or Grandpa’s Farmall M they began their farming careers with which are now their old Farmall M’s.  Our grandfathers’ generation had an opportunity that many of us may never – the ability to start and […]

A note from Mom | “Inheritance is a gift, not a right”

By Mike Downey, Certified Farm Succession Consultant I was recently handed a note written by Mom she wishes to have her children read one day. She opened her letter with these three statements: Inheritance is a gift, not a right It is our wish to treat all of our children fairly, but not necessarily equally […]

Iowa Farmer Today – Flex leases have benefits in volatile markets

We would like to thank the Iowa Farmer Today for asking us to contribute to this story about flexible cash rent lease arrangements. Our leasing program that is mentioned in this article is quite simple. It is a flat fee of $10 per acre that can be paid by the landowner, the producer, or this […]