Nebraska FARMcast - Farm and Ranch Management

With: Jessica Groskopf and Anastasia Meyer, Agricultural Economists, UNL Center for Agricultural Profitability. 

This episode takes on one of the hardest parts of a farm or ranch transition: splitting assets among heirs. An equal split on paper doesn't always add up to a fair one, especially when one child has worked the operation for years and others haven't. The conversation walks through how families can weigh contributions, expectations and long-term goals when deciding who gets what. Listeners will hear practical ways to start that conversation early, before decisions get made under pressure or after a death in the family. It's part of the ongoing Nebraska Land Link series from the Center for Agricultural Profitability, covering the details that go into a successful transition. 

Produced and hosted by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link intern

More: ⁠https://cap.unl.edu/landlink⁠

Nebraska producers have until Dec. 11 to make an ARC or PLC election for the 2026 crop year and complete enrollment at their FSA office. Brad Lubben, agricultural policy specialist with the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, explains why those are two separate steps and what happens to a farm that completes one but not the other. He walks through what the 2025 payments arriving this month reveal about how differently the two programs pay, from counties where ARC paid nothing to counties where the corn rate reached $147 an acre. Lubben also covers where ARC-Individual fits for farms coming off short crops or prevented planting, and why waiting until closer to the deadline for better information probably isn’t worth it. The conversation closes on how farm program choices work alongside crop insurance and marketing heading into the 2027 sign-up, which opens Nov. 2.

https://cap.unl.edu/news/farm-program-payments-and-decisions-further-analysis/

Spur AgConverge runs Nov. 17-18 at Raising Nebraska in Grand Island, bringing farmers, startups, researchers and investors together to test new agricultural technology against real operational challenges. Ishani Lal, economic analyst with the Center for Agricultural Profitability, and Alexa Davis, soil and water programs coordinator with the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment, discuss the conference’s Farm Tech Adoption Challenge, where farmers judge the startups instead of investors, and research showing Nebraska drew about $76 million in agtech investment from 2021 to 2025, roughly $45 million less than its agricultural output would predict. They also preview the Women in Midwest AgTech panel they’re chairing Nov. 18, which includes the state’s agriculture director, a Nebraska producer, a startup founder and an investor. The full agenda and registration are at thespur.org/agconverge.

Skylar Faltar, program coordinator with Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska, joins Nebraska FARMcast to talk about the Local Foods Collaboration Summit on Nov. 9 in Lincoln. She explains what collaboration can look like for local food producers, from coordinated deliveries and shared processing space to group purchasing and cooperatives, and how to decide between a formal and informal arrangement. Faltar also covers who the summit is for, why building relationships takes as much work as the business idea, and what technical assistance funding is available to groups that want to keep going. The summit is free, and registration is due Nov. 1.

Details and registration: https://buylocalnebraska.org/collaboration-network/

With: Anastasia Meyer and Jessica Groskopf, agricultural economists, UNL Center for Agricultural Profitability

Retirement looks different in agriculture than it does in most professions, and stepping back from day-to-day management doesn't have to mean stepping away from the operation entirely. In this episode of Nebraska FARMcast, host Lexi Bodlak, a Nebraska Land Link intern, talks with agricultural economists Jessica Groskopf and Anastasia Meyer about what a successful generational transition actually requires, from handing off decision-making gradually to putting agreements in writing, even within families. They also cover the practical friction points that often get overlooked, including mismatched retirement expectations between spouses and who pays for new equipment or technology as a younger generation steps in.

Produced and hosted by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link intern

More: ⁠https://cap.unl.edu/landlink⁠

The farm bill saga continues. Brad Lubben, Extension agricultural policy specialist at Nebraska, breaks down the Senate Agriculture Committee's Sept. 16 vote and what it means for a bill still headed toward a lame-duck showdown after the November election. Lubben explains what's actually at stake, from the Conservation Reserve Program to the SNAP dispute that's long held the farm bill's coalition together. He also digs into the fight over language that would override state laws like California's Proposition 12, and what it would take to get year-round E15 across the finish line. Plus, an update on 2026 commodity program enrollment and what producers should be thinking about as they plan for 2027.

Article: https://cap.unl.edu/news/farm-bill-saga-fraught-obstacles/

Organic certification can open up new markets and price premiums, but getting there takes three years of planning, not just a change in what goes on the field. Shannon Sand, extension ag economist with the Center for Agricultural Profitability, joins Nebraska FARMcast to talk through what that transition actually requires, from budgeting for a stretch of higher costs and lower yields to building a recordkeeping system that can trace a crop from seed to sale. Sand and fellow CAP analyst Glennis McClure recently wrote about the financial and operational realities producers face during the transition period, and Sand walks through what to line up before committing any acres, from buyers to available USDA support.

Article: https://cap.unl.edu/news/transitioning-organic-production-challenges-planning-and-recordkeeping-success/

With: Anastasia Meyer and Jessica Groskopf, agricultural economists, UNL Center for Agricultural Profitability

Farm transitions involve more than leases, legal documents, and financial agreements. They involve people, and the emotional weight of those relationships can shape whether a transition succeeds or stalls. In this episode, Jessica Groskopf and Anastasia Meyer, who work with landowners and land seekers through Nebraska's Land Link program, talk through the emotional dynamics that tend to surface during the transition process, from grief and fear on the landowner side to excitement and uncertainty for land seekers.

Produced by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link intern

More: ⁠https://cap.unl.edu/landlink⁠

With: Anastasia Meyer and Jessica Groskopf, agricultural economists, UNL Center for Agricultural Profitability

Nebraska's Land Link program connects land seekers with landowners who are ready to transition their farm or ranch to the next generation, and you don't have to come from an agricultural background to find a match. Anastasia Meyer and Jessica Groskopf, who lead much of the Land Link work through Nebraska Extension, explain how off-farm experience can translate well in a transition relationship when a land seeker knows how to communicate those skills clearly. They walk through what landowners are really looking for in an applicant, why a detailed and thoughtful application matters more than most people realize, and how to set realistic expectations going into the process.

Produced by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link intern.

More: ⁠https://cap.unl.edu/landlink⁠

With: Allan Vyhnalek, Nebraska Extension Educator Emeritus. 

Before entering any land transition, one of the most important steps is setting clear goals. This episodes talks through how to define your priorities around topics like financial return, conservation, legacy, and supporting the next generation. It also shares how these goals can guide better decisions throughout the process.

Produced and hosted by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link intern.

More: ⁠https://cap.unl.edu/landlink⁠