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Conference set on land values, rental rates

By Staff | Jun 5, 2012

DES MOINES – With the rent for farmland in Iowa increasing 18 percent last year and farmland values rising at the fastest rate in a generation, landowners and investors share heightened curiosity about the current business environment.

Three entities have teamed up to produce a landowner conference, This Land is Your Land 2012, to be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 15 at the Hy-Vee Conference Center in West Des Moines.

The day-long event will address many of the marketplace challenges and opportunities that landowners are facing.

The conference topic lineup will address national and local issues targeted to absentee and non-operating landowners who want to better understand what is needed to enhance and protect their land, investment and legacy.

“The farmland environment is dramatically changing with high land values and increasing rent values while there is also fluctuating commodity markets,” said Mark Gannon, who has worked in farm management, brokerage and lending for more than 30 years and founder of US Farm Lease and Gannon Real Estate. “A generational shift in farm ownership is occurring and a rising percentage of farmland is owned by non-operators or the elderly.

“The age of the landowner is increasing, but so are the expectations from heirs, outside investors and large farm operators.”

Gannon said the conference is intended to assist landowners in making informed rental decisions and how to maintain the land’s productivity while continuing a profitable and enduring landlord-tenant relationship.

The cost to register for the conference is $50 for the first attendee of the group and $35 for the second participant. Lunch and refreshments are included.

Registration and additional information is available at www.farmlandconference.com or by calling (877) 232-4002. Space is limited.

Conference topics and presenters include:

  • Keynote address: Loren Kruse, editor-in-chief, Successful Farming.
  • Alternatives to Large Scale Row Crop Farming/Sustainable Farm Leases, by Neil Hamilton, Drake Ag Law Center.
  • Soil Loss and its Effect on Iowa, Your Farm and Your Community, by Brett Lorenzen, Environmental Working Group.
  • Good Drainage = Increased Yields, Revenue and Conservation Rewards, by Bill Manske, Precision Drainage and Excavating Inc.
  • 2013 Government Farm Program & Tax Law Issues, by Steve Johnson, ISU Extension Farm Management Specialist.
  • Ag Technology and How The Landowner Can Use It, by Michael Vos, Ag Leader.
  • Intro to US Farm Records Add Value to Your Land, by Andy Mullan, US Farm Records.
  • Conservation Farming is not a Choice- It’s the Law and our Responsibility, by Tom Buman, Agren.
  • Overall Farm Land Evaluations, by Marj Ocheltree, Validus.
  • Farm Costs/Incomes and How They Affect Cash Rental Rates, FAIR Lease Examples, by Bill Bluml, US Farm Lease
  • Family Farm Issues, by Jim Harvey, Heartland Financial, West Des Moines.
  • How to Train Your Tenant or Find One That is Ready to Go for You, by Mark Gannon, Gannon Real Estate/US Farm Lease.
  • Why Beginning or Smaller Operators are Worthy of a Chance, by Mark Gannon.