Programming – Page 24 – Views from VanDeWalle

Landlord/Tenant Cash Lease Workshops

October 28, 2011 Brandy VanDeWalle

Do you as a landlord feel that you are not receiving enough money for their cash rent? Do you as a tenant worry about how you will be able to afford to pay rent when yields are poor and/or prices drop? Answers to these and other land lease questions will be provided at the Landlord/Tenant Cash lease workshops being held State-Wide in November and December of 2011. The main purpose of these workshops is to help with establishing and maintaining positive farm leasing relationships.

Topics for discussion include: 1) Expectations from the lease, including goal setting for the rental property; 2) Lease communication, determining appropriate information sharing for both the tenant and landlord; 3) Relatives – tips for farm leases that include relatives; 4) Irrigation System questions, as they pertain to setting lease rates; 5) Alternative cash lease arrangements, flexible provision considerations for your situation and 6) Other topics like grain bin rental will be covered as time allows.

See the list of locations for this set of workshops, which are being sponsored by the Nebraska Soybean Board. All of these workshops will begin with the registration at 5:00 and conclude at 9:00 pm at each location. The meal and handouts are provided. Participation is limited, to register contact the local Extension Office hosting the workshop. The Workshops are free, but you need to register to reserve your spot. Putting together the right lease isn’t about what is being discussed at the coffee shop, or what a University survey of cash lease rates says; it is about what fits both the landlord and tenant for their circumstance and situation. Attending this presentation will provide a set of ideas to work from as those specifics are discussed.

Several sessions include:

November 15 – Wilber – at Sokol Hall – call Saline County Extension – 402-821-2151

December 6 – Hastings – Adams County Fairgrounds – call Adams County Extension – 402-461-7209

December 7 – Central City – Community Room – call Merrick County Extension at 308-946-3843

For more information, please contact Allan Vyhnalek, Extension Educator, UNL, Extension in Platte County. Phone: 402-563-4901 or e-mail AVYHNALEK2@unl.edu

Crops, Programming, Uncategorized

Risk Management Education

October 14, 2011 Brandy VanDeWalle

Farmers & Ranchers College Year Planned

The Farmers & Ranchers College was formed in January, 2000 with the purpose of providing high quality, dynamic, up to date educational workshops for area agricultural producers in south central Nebraska through a collaborative effort between business, industry and higher education leaders. Furthermore, the Farmers & Ranchers College will provide the tools necessary so that agricultural producers will be able to respond positively to these changes using a profitable decision making process. The Farmers and Ranchers College is a unique opportunity to educate agricultural producers in south central Nebraska.

During the 2010-11 programs, over 400 farmers, ranchers and agricultural industry representatives from ten counties attended the Farmers & Ranchers College programs. Participants for these programs managed over 150,000 acres and indicated that information learned from attending the program was valued at $20/acre with a potential program impact of around $3 million. Contributions and support of area businesses allow participants to attend at no cost, however for programs that have meals, it is requested that people RSVP at least a week in advance for an accurate meal count by calling Fillmore County Extension at (402) 759-3712.

The Farmers and Ranchers College Committee consists of Fred Bruning of Bruning, Bryan Dohrman of Grafton, Sarah Miller of Carleton, Eric Milton of Milligan, Jim Donovan of Geneva, Bryce Kassik of Geneva, Jake Voss of Davenport, Gordy Nuss of Sutton, and Brandy VanDeWalle of Ohiowa.

2011 -2012 Farmers & Ranchers College Programming

Nov. 30th – “Global Economic Impacts on the Farm & Ranch” Featuring Dr. David Kohl, 1-4 p.m., Bruning Opera House
Jan. 17th – Cow-Calf College, U.S. MARC near Clay Center from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., registration at 9:30 a.m.*
Feb. 15th – “Risk Assessed Marketing/Crop Insurance Workshop” Featuring Art Barnaby, KSU with Brad Lubben, UNL at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds – Geneva, NE at 9:00 – 3:30 p.m., registration at 8:30 a.m.*
Mar. 15th – “Discuss the Undiscussabull” Featuring Elaine Froese, Farm Family Coach – Manitoba, Canada – San Carlos room next to Pour House in Friend, NE with 5:30 registration, 6:00 p.m. meal & program to follow**

* Programs are provided at no cost to the public, but registration is appreciated for a meal count. Please call the Fillmore Co. Extension Office at (402) 759-3712 or email to bvandewalle2@unl.edu one week prior to the program.
**Preferred to RSVP 2-3 weeks before event to receive free materials prior to the program.

Crops, Programming, Uncategorized

Farmers & Ranchers College

October 7, 2011 Brandy VanDeWalle

Farmers & Ranchers College Year Getting Started

The Farmers & Ranchers College was formed in January, 2000 with the purpose of providing high quality, dynamic, up to date educational workshops for area agricultural producers in south central Nebraska through a collaborative effort between business, industry and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. Furthermore, the Farmers & Ranchers College will provide the tools necessary so that agricultural producers will be able to respond positively to these changes using a profitable decision making process.

The first session is slated for November 30th at the Bruning Opera House featuring Dr. David Kohl. His interactive presentation will start at 1:00 p.m. and is titled “Global Economic Impacts on the Farm & Ranch”. Twenty-first century agriculture has many more global interconnections than ever before. This workshop will focus on the new mega trends impacting producers’ profitability and lifestyles. What will be the emerging nations’ role? What will be the economic game changers? How can producers position themselves to capitalize on these trends? Do high farmland values represent a credit or asset bubble? Where is the economy heading? Don’t miss this session with Dr. Dave Kohl, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management at Virginia Tech, as it will increase your economic literacy, which is critical to managing your business and household.

Registration is free due to the generous sponsorship of Farmers & Ranchers College sponsors. For more information, call the Fillmore County Extension Office at (402) 759-3712.

Good Starting Planning Session for Families

The 2011 Ag at the Crossroads Conference will focus on the Theme: “The Transition of Nebraska Agricultural Businesses”. Ag at the Crossroads will be held on Thursday November 3, 2011 with registration at 8:30 am and program from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm at the Lancaster County Events Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Nebraska AgRelations Council chose this theme because the generational change bubble is going to result is accelerated ownership changes in Nebraska farms and agricultural businesses in the coming years. AgRelations President Paul Hay says, “We have an outstanding program put together on this incredibly important topic for the future Nebraska agriculture.”

Advance registrations are $45 by October 28 and $50 at the door. Featured speakers are Dave Specht, Coordinator of Family Business Programs and Lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration and Ag Economics Departments; Bruce Johnson, Professor of Ag Economics; Larry Kopsa, Partner in Kopsa Otte CPA’s, Joe Hawbaker of Hawbaker Law Office, and Tina Barrett, Executive Director of Nebraska Farm Business, Inc.

You can call 402-472-2821 by October 28 for reservations and pay at the door or send the names of those attending and payment to the Nebraska AgRelations Council, P.O. Box 830918, Lincoln, NE 68583-0918. For more information e-mail Paul C Hay at phay1@unl.edu, call 402-223-1384.

Programming

NACAA Reflections

August 12, 2011 Brandy VanDeWalle

Reflections on NACAA

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the National Association of County Agricultural Agents professional improvement conference. The conference was held in Overland Park, Kansas and we had the opportunity to tour some of the area. My husband, Kurt and I went on the “high tunnel tour” which provided lots of great ideas that either traditional farmers expanded on their current operation or new agricultural producers started. Nonetheless, it was a very interesting tour which showed how value-added agriculture or niche markets have their place. We also noticed how much the corn was suffering from drought and feel fortunate for the irrigation we have in our part of the state.

It was great to network with agricultural extension professionals from across the United States. Whether it was discussing programming ideas, learning different types of agriculture and issues foreign to Nebraska, or discussing potential program collaborations, a lot of knowledge was exchanged. One general theme seems to be the same… reduction in resources, while remaining current and relevant. Extension has been at the forefront of providing research-based, relevant and current information to clientele; however you might see different delivery methods.

With the increase in technology, we have been able to reach a larger audience through webinars, podcasts, YouTube, blogs, social media, etc. While we recognize that face to face programs are still important, we must have materials available so that the younger generations can have access to information 24/7. For example, my news column which goes into traditional newspapers also can be found on our Fillmore County Extension website as a pdf, on my blog, (vandewalleviews.wordpress.com) and small pieces of information tweeted on twitter. The major advantage of using multiple methods of delivery is that it reaches a larger audience and is accessible 24/7 and the best thing is most of these are free!

I was fortunate enough to present to my colleagues on some of my work involving crop science investigation with youth. Many other Nebraska Extension professionals presented posters, served on national or regional committees or received other awards. I was honored to be selected by my peers to receive the Nebraska Achievement Award. This year, Nebraska definitely had its presence known and I look forward to implementing some of the ideas learned and continuing to provide high quality, dynamic programs and research-based information to the great people of Nebraska.

Programming

From Farms to Families Field Day

August 11, 2011 Brandy VanDeWalle

Field Day for Women!

Today’s agriculture is constantly changing, making it important for producers and their families to stay knowledgeable of current issues. Risk management is more important now than ever for agricultural producers, so to address some of the issues producers face, a new program has been developed by UNL Extension. From Farms to Families is a program designed to empower women in agriculture with a better understanding of the issues that affect their operation’s profitability.

This new and exciting program for women was offered winter of 2011 with good reviews from participants. To continue this program, a special From Farms to Families field day will be held on August 23^rd starting at 6:00 p.m. with a light meal included. Registration is free, however to help with the meal count please call the Fillmore County Extension office at (402) 759-3712 or Thayer County Extension office at (402) 768-7212 by August 19^th. Location of the program is at the Joe Birky farm located on county road 16, 1/4 mile south of Hwy. 74.

Specific sessions include a look at irrigation management technologies, field condition updates, range management, and a brief look on current agricultural issues. This program is sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and Advanced BioEnergy L.L.C.