Way back in the beginning of my career, there was a tough time for agriculture.  I remember having a series of meetings to help people get operating loans so they could keep farming, back then passing on the farm was joked to be “child abuse”.  Then we went through the early teens, when farmland shot up in price and it seemed everyone wanted to come back to the farm.  Now, we find ourselves in rougher times, but being the eternal optimists, we know good times will return.  These are all factors to consider when you decide the future of your farm. 

For some families, it’s pretty obvious where the farm is headed, with a grown child already helping with the day to day management of the farm or ranch.  For others, the next generation may not show any interest in the farm at all.  What to do, what to do?

On February 13th, at the NE Kansas Heritage meeting room, 12200 214th Road in Holton Kansas, we hope to give you an idea of what your possibilities are for passing down the farm.  This meeting will start at 1:30 pm,  we are proud to co-sponsor this meeting with the Jackson County Farm Bureau.

The first speaker is Mark Peterson of Stanton Iowa.  He has a very unique story of how he became a farmer, and how he kept another families’ farm going.  Now, he’s transitioning that farm to his heirs.

Our second speaker is Roger McEowan, from Washburn school of law, former KSU Ag Law Specialist, former Ag Lawyer for Iowa State University.  Roger will share his thoughts on how to structure your farm or ranch to pass it on, avoiding all the red tape that can come with it.

This program is free and anyone interested is welcome to attend.

Another couple of programs coming up:

NE Kansas Sheep & Goat school on January 28th at the Fairbuilding in Valley Falls, Charlie Lee KSU Wildlife Damage control specialist and Dr Allison Crane, KSU Sheep & Goat Specialist will be the presenters. Starting time 7:00 pm.

KSU Dairy Day will be February 7th at the Nemaha County Community Building.  There’s a smorgasbord of topics this year, from robotic milking, dairy-beef crosses for profitability to herbal medicine for cows.

The day begins at 9:45 am and will conclude by 3 pm.  Lunch is provided.