Extension Specialist says plans for farm succession eliminates uncertainty for families

“We have people taking information about what’s supposed to happen with the family farm to the grave – or the family ranch – and we have to really think how we share information across generations so the next generation knows what the wishes are,” Vyhnalek says.

MSU Extension's Beginning Grazing School

Michigan State University Extension will offer the Beginning Grazing School online with an in-person component this year. The eight-week course is designed for beginning farmers and livestock owners who graze dairy, beef, and small ruminant animals and want the latest animal and forage research on grazing management. 

Meat, farm workers to get $600 grants in new $700M aid plan

Officials said the grants are meant to defray some of the costs workers bore as many of them bought their own protective equipment or took unpaid leave as the virus tore through their industries even as they were required to keep showing up for work.

Comparisons of net returns for crop share leases and fixed cash rent lease

Net returns to land from 1996 to 2021 from a landowner perspective were computed for a case farm in west central Indiana. The case farm had 3,000 crop acres and utilized a corn/soybean rotation. The farm also participated in the ARC-CO program and purchased 80% revenue protection coverage. The three leasing arrangements compared in this article are briefly discussed.

He says it’s not about climate. So why is Bill Gates buying so much farmland?

For many investors, farmland was not on the radar as an investable asset class until earlier this year, when it was revealed that the largest owners of US farmland were none other than Bill and Melinda Gates.

Dairy Farmers Could Qualify for Additional COVID and DMC payments

The USDA has announced additional assistance for dairy farmers and improvements to the Dairy Margin Coverage Program.

About $350 million dollars are available through a new Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance program for farmers who were impacted by government purchase price swings.

A Closer Look at Western Drought and Wildfires from Wyoming

On Monday, August 16, the federal government officially declared a “water shortage” at Lake Mead – the largest reservoir on the Colorado River on the Nevada-Arizona border.  Rather than shocking, the announcement has been a long-time coming. Water shortages in the Colorado River Basin are a common dinner-topic in my neck of the woods in Wyoming, one of 7 states that rely on the river system for drinking water and food production. 

IOWA LAW PROTECTING ANIMAL FACILITIES FROM ACTIVISTS LYING TO GAIN ACCESS UPHELD BY U.S. COURT OF AP

A recent federal court ruling will protect Iowa’s livestock industry from animal rights activists who lie to gain access to animal facilities.

Agricultural real estate values up 7% — largest increase since 2012

The most recent Land Values 2021 Summary report from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service shows agricultural land values increasing at a rate not seen in nearly a decade. It also provides a glimpse of future production costs that farmers may face as they negotiate rental contracts this fall.

MiFarmLink Project to help develop, maintain Michigan farmers, farmland

A West Michigan project aims to bridge the succession planning gap for aging farmers.

And protect Michigan farmland, said Becky Huttenga, economic development coordinator for Ottawa County. The area’s latest effort is the MiFarmLink Project, which uses U.S. Department of Agriculture funds to support beginning and experienced farmers for the next generation.