Legislative Bill 806 would significantly change Nebraska drainage law, and bring a long overdue reform to Nebraska water law. Joining to discuss this is Dave Aiken, Nebraska Extension Water Law and Agricultural Law Specialist.

Read more at https://cap.unl.edu/rural/new-bill-would-change-nebraska-drainage-law.

Higher costs and low inventory of fertilizer over the past year are continuing for farmers and ranchers in Nebraska. According to Dr. John Westra, professor and program leader with Nebraska Extension in the Ag Econ department at UNL, fertilizer costs account for about 15-to-20 percent of total cash costs for corn production in the state – making this a major concern for producers as the new growing season approaches. He joins the podcast to discuss what’s behind the price increases, what producers can focus on and tools available to help them get a handle on their costs in 2022.

Read more at https://cap.unl.edu/crops/fertilizer-costs-what-driving-increase-and-how-can-growers-manage-it.

With the number of Americans over the age of 65 expected to grow significantly in the next ten years, demand for personal care workers is expected to rise quickly. To help address this expected boom in an industry with high turnover and a shortage of workers, the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center here at UNL, in partnership with the Northwest Cooperative Development Center in Washington state, has developed a new Homecare Worker Cooperative Academy. The six-week program is designed to take caregivers through the cooperative development process. To tell us more is Cindy Houlden, cooperative development specialist with the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center.

Read more at https://cap.unl.edu/rural/homecare-worker-cooperative-academy-launching-nebraska.

As farm and ranch businesses strive to be profitable, it’s important to understand how investments in assets like land, equipment and commodities will impact the balance sheet. At the same time, even when new opportunities may seem profitable, it’s important to consider their financial feasibility and whether the investment will create cash flow issues for the operation. For more on the importance of keeping both profitability and financial feasibility in mind, Larry Van Tassell, professor and department head in Agricultural Economics at UNL joins the podcast. He also serves as director for the Center for Agricultural Profitability.

Read more at https://cap.unl.edu/management/profitability-vs-feasibility-and-paradox-purchasing-farmland.

The pandemic has impacted Nebraskans in many ways, including their consumer habits. As businesses shifted to new methods of operation and residents changed their behaviors, it is natural to assume that shopping patterns would be impacted. Given that, how did rural Nebraskans change their consumer habits during the pandemic, and will they continue these changes going forward? This can have important implications for businesses in rural communities as they adjust to meet these new demands. Becky Vogt, survey research manager with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Nebraska Rural Poll, discusses. 

Read more at https://cap.unl.edu/rural/changes-consumer-habits-during-and-after-pandemic.

For farm and ranch families in business together, difficult situations can necessitate tough discussions about decisions that need to be made for the operation. Whether it’s death, serious illness, the change in status of a business partner, or something else, conversations about the future of the business – namely what is fair and equal – can prove difficult. Allan Vyhnalek, an extension educator for farm and ranch succession, encourages families to consider putting a succession or transition plan in place before these situations come up.

Read more at https://cap.unl.edu/management/family-goals-and-difficult-times.

Recent research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics has found that crop insurance premium subsidies offered by the federal government have contributed to fewer and larger farms. To discuss more about how these subsidies relate to farm consolidation in Nebraska, Cory Walters, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, joins the podcast. Dr. Walters conducted the research along with Taylor Kaus, a graduate student in the department, and Dr. Azzeddine Azzam, also a professor in Agricultural Economics.

Read more at https://cap.unl.edu/crops/farm-consolidation-and-crop-insurance-premium-subsidies.

2021 was not without its challenges for farmers and ranchers, but producers in Nebraska continued to reliably provide local food options to consumers through farmers markets and other avenues. Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska continued to play a critical role in helping to keep Nebraska consumers connected through local food through things like their searchable online database of local food businesses, the annual Nebraska Food Guide publication, and promoting and educating about the benefits of locally grown food.

Margaret Milligan, program coordinator with Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska, joins the podcast to to discuss the organization's impact in 2021 and what to look forward to in 2022. 

Read more at https://cap.unl.edu/rural/growing-local-food-together. 

A new report published by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Bureau of Business Research projects that farm income in Nebraska will exceed $8 billion in 2021, more than the previous highs of around 7 and a half billion dollars in both 2011 and 2013. But with high input costs and possible declines in commodity prices and government payments ahead, levels may be set for a decline in coming years. For more on what’s contributing these record-setting farm income levels, and what may be ahead, Dr. Brad Lubben, extension policy specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, joins the podcast.

Read his article on the topic at https://cap.unl.edu/policy-legal/nebraska-farm-income-and-farm-policy-directions.

According the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the value of non-irrigated cropland in the central Plains region of the U.S. increased by up to 28 percent in the third quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2020. For more on the reasons behind this and the outlook for land values in 2022, Jim Jansen, an agricultural economist at UNL, joins the podcast. He is a co-author of the annual Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Report, which publishes data on average land values and cash rental rates by region throughout the state, and he has co-written a new article on our website – cap.unl.edu – about the Fed’s third quarter findings.

Read more at https://cap.unl.edu/land/nonirrigated-cropland-values-reflect-strength-commodity-markets-2021.