ASFMRA Illinois Chapter’s Post

"In total, the top 10 absentee farmland owners in Illinois hold 246,944 acres out of 26.3 million acres of total farmland — 1%. Lauher emphasizes that farmers are still the largest owners and buyers of Illinois farmland, but it’s more distributed and not consolidated into big ownerships. 'That means the majority of farmland is owned by farmers and will continue to be for generations to come,' he adds. Illinois has a long history of absentee farmland ownership, with 56% of the land owned by someone who does not farm it, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. That compares to 50% in Iowa, 52% in Indiana and 39% nationwide. Lauher says in his experience, a lot of that farmland is owned by descendants — children and grandchildren — who may not farm it themselves but still feel a connection to the land and still want to hold on to it." #farmland #agindustry #farmersupport #landinvestment #landowners #farmers #landmanagment Michael Lauher, AFM, ALC https://lnkd.in/epnQ5c3M

Who can relate to this? For me, it's the "Lovejoy 160" who to this day I have no idea who they are or much of anything about them. I would argue this is a name from 3 generations ago. When I make an initial estate assets summary, I always start with the farms, First is always the "Home farm" Then, typically a bunch of random names of farms none of which are family names. Sorta like giving directions by saying turn at the 4 corners where the old country school used to sit. You either get it or you don't - but I love it! #agriculture #farmers #familyfarm #legacyplanning #farmraised ------------------------------------ Hello, my name is Mike Downey. I help farmers and ag professional grow, diversify and transition their family legacies through farm business coaching and written succession plans.

Study confirms cotton farmers face major deer problem Georgia survey reveals deer cost cotton farmers as much as $152 million in 2023 alone. When asked how often deer are a problem on the farm, 95% of respondents selected “every year” while 3% selected “every couple of years,” 2% responded “rarely. None responded “never.” Alabama farmers were also asked to report what percent yield loss they estimate are lost to deer affected acre, based on differences in yields from affected and non-affected areas. Deer caused an average of 33% yield loss across responses with a range of 0-100% loss reported. Alabama farmers estimated yield losses and cost of mitigation strategies averaged loss $290 per acre, ranging from $23 to $1,200 per acre. According to Clemson University data, deer are a top problem for many South Carolina farmers. Research there revealed losses in 2022 to cotton, soybean and peanut farmers were roughly $114 million. Check full article https://lnkd.in/ejXphcu8 SetaTech Luis Naranjo #setatech #deerwall #luisnaranjo

Thinking about starting your own hobby farm while keeping your day job? These practical tips from real families who balance full-time work and farming will help you get started on the right foot! #iWork4AmFam

The auctioneers voice went quiet and a loud voice yelled from the crowd, “You fucking bastards!!!” A cattle farmer directed his frustration at the five cattle buyers, one of which had offered him a low price for his cattle. Blood, sweat and tears poured into getting the cattle ready for market. If it was a good day, it would be a great trip home. If it was a crappy day, frustration levels are high and you question the entire system and your role in it. The sale yards are for many farmers, the biggest social event in the calendar. They watch the cattle buyers rock up in the same car. They travel together to all the sale yards representing their clients, mostly the big supermarket chains. One of the farmers at the same cattle sale said, “For us, this is our livelihood. We are dependent on this. I watch them laugh and make disrespectful comments, the height of arrogance. No one says anything because if they don’t like you, they’ll screw you over even more”. A few thoughts…. - We work in sophisticated supply chains that rely on partners to deliver services that guarantee quality, reliability and are cost effective. In this case, get the best product for as competitive a price as possible. - Much work has been done to understand and manage supply chain risk. - As a key part of your supply chain, how do these partners represent your brand? Do they operate as an extension of your brand and values? What influence can you have as a major buyer to ensure business is conducted respectfully and professionally? - The bigger question is what is the true cost for those at the beginning of that chain? Those who benefit the least. Our farmers and the farming communities they live in. - Some new research into farmers mental health identified that “close to half of Australian farmers (45%) have had thoughts of self-harm or suicide, while close to a third (30%) have attempted self-harm or suicide”. - “The top three factors impacting farmer mental health were weather or natural disasters (47%), financial stress (36%) and inflation and cost pressures (35%)”. Farmers in crisis: Depression and anxiety rife among Aussie farmers - National Farmers' Federation They lick their wounds and return to the farm. There are other fires to fight on the home front when you’re living at the coal face of climate change. Rain, dam levels, fencing, feed levels, fire…. The kettle is on, the lamington from the CWA cake stall is calling their name. Life goes on for many of our farmers, resilient and tough, but not immune to the laughs and disrespect. It leaves a bitter taste despite the sweetness of the lamington. (Image credit: ABC Rural) #supplychainrisk #culture #equity #farmers #mentalhealth #regenerativesystems #foodinsecurity

The choice between hunting and farming depends on your context, goals, and resources. Here's a breakdown of both approaches: Time to Hunt When to Hunt: You need immediate results or short-term gains (e.g., securing a new client, closing a quick deal). Your focus is on acquisition rather than retention. You’re exploring new opportunities, markets, or partnerships. Your resources are limited, and you need to maximize returns quickly. Hunting Characteristics: High-risk, high-reward approach. Often resource-intensive but can yield quick wins. Requires sharp strategies like direct outreach, cold calling, or aggressive marketing. Time to Farm When to Farm: You want sustainable, long-term growth (e.g., nurturing relationships with existing clients, building loyalty). Your focus is on retention, growth, and strengthening what you already have. You’re building brand equity or trust over time. You have the patience and resources to invest in steady, compounding results. Farming Characteristics: Lower risk, slower results, but more predictable over time. Requires consistency and effort (e.g., content marketing, community building, CRM). Yields recurring revenue and long-term partnerships. Balance or Decision? In many cases, a hybrid approach works best: Start with hunting to build momentum and secure early wins. Transition to farming once you’ve established a foundation to cultivate and grow.

An analysis of sheep-raising and grazing costs indicates that breeding flocks yield higher overall profits, while purchasing and reselling a new flock each year may result in a higher return on investment due to reduced off-season upkeep costs. #Finance #MarketsPolicy #agrivoltaics

Farm succession planning is HARD. It's difficult to hit the sweet spot of fairness, management, cash flow, emotions and opportunity for farming operations. We often use purchase options, trusts, limited liability companies, or other techniques to help balance the competing concerns, but I've yet to draft a perfect plan. Not engaging in farm succession planning is HARDER. Litigation to split up land is a growing trend in Iowa. I can think of a dozen cases in varying stages of litigation that involve farmland in my personal law practice. If I would drill down, my firm is probably handling signficantly more disputes involving farmland. With the demographics of Iowa, I don't expect the trend to stop anytime soon. I hope more planning and conversations can occur between the generations!

A week on from a very much commented and liked post, I though I’d reflect on another week at Omnia. Every week is different and I love it. So this week has seen - ✅ setting up an Omnia Connect system on a sprayer in south Lincolnshire - a challenging one but we got there - thanks to Carl Evans and Mark Palmer for their help, great to have knowledgeable contacts to call on - turns out it needed a couple of settings on ✅ met a prospect Omnia client in the fens - only 75ha but all farms can make use of Omnia for compliance and operations recording ✅ organised an Omnia account for a niche crop business growing from Lincolnshire to Kent, setting up users and next day they were mapping trials zones in Cambridgeshire using Omnia Scout ✅ had a cuppa with Ben Martin and talked all things farming - great to catch up Ben as ever! ✅ quick catchup with Andy Bell who is going to do great things in a new role ✅ two visits to farms in Norfolk - both really forward thinking units wanting to move away from their current farm software system and adopt Omnia ✅ sat in on a webinar highlighting the next steps in the Omnia EasyPlan upgrade - get more info here - https://loom.ly/Xmq1gek Next week is a bit of office time and then to Birmingham for two days to catch up with our ever expanding Omnia team discussing the next few months of developments of our amazing system. Then a bit of farm time on Friday out with the excellent Benjamin Haste seeing some clients. Just a note on the team we have at Omnia. I started in Covid and had six months or so when I was restricted in going out apart from much crop walking. Throughout my first six months and even to this day, I work in an amazing team who supported/support me. We look out for each other, work to one goal and this is why we are expanding in the digital farming space. I talk almost daily to Harry Rabbetts Christopher Blashill and Chris Hoskins - we bounce ideas and discuss issues we deal with and that sounding board is invaluable. We work as a team to help clients solve their issues - in my past role I was “in” a team but never really felt part of it. In a sporting analogy, I always felt as if I was 12th man or the only sub the team had but had to take someone. Not at Omnia. As you will see from the link above and the press coverage of EasyPlan upgrade launched this week, a great team in the background who don’t do the on farm stuff have made a truly awesome product that is game changing in our industry. Doing something different and fresh which will help our agronomists be more efficient with their time plus allow our clients to better understand cost of production and margin is a great thing. Although I personally don’t sit and write the code, I feel part of something - our client facing team input has helped mould this product into what our farmers will love. Happy weekend all 📸 of a successful Connect install linking to a Müller-Elektronik GmbH – a PTx Trimble Company Touch 800 for #VRNitrogen

Today’s travels took me to R&F Agronomy, Summitville Agronomy, and Herbst Agronomy. During lunch, I realized I was right next to Indiana Wesleyan University, where I earned my bachelor’s degree. For today’s tip: let’s talk about beneficiaries! If you have a 401(k) plan, life insurance policy, health savings account, or any other account that allows you to designate a beneficiary, it’s important to ensure these are up-to-date. I highly recommend taking the time to review each of your accounts to confirm you have a beneficiary on file and that it’s the appropriate one, especially if you’ve recently experienced a life change. #BenefitsEducation #Beneficiaries #KeystoneCooperative #CenteredOnYou