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 throug...

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...

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, di...

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...

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 agri...

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&...

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...

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...

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 Li...

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 an...

Rural grocery stores often run on margins as thin as a penny on the dollar, and one wrong decision can put a store under. In this episode, Charlotte Narjes of the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center and Ansley Fellers of the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association discuss the pressures facing small-town grocers, from competition and ownership transitions to credit card fees and changes to SNAP a...

With: Allan Vyhnalek, Nebraska Extension Educator Emeritus.  Breaking into agriculture can be one of the greatest challenges for beginning farmers and ranchers, especially when it comes to accessing land. This episode walks you through applying to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Land Link Program. It guides you through how to prepare your application, clearly communicate your goals and experien...

Brad Lubben, Nebraska Extension policy specialist and director of the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, joins the podcast to break down the risks producers are managing in a divided ag economy. Crop producers are working through tight margins and leaning on government payments, while cattle producers are enjoying record prices that come with a catch: higher costs to buy rep...

An estate plan tells the government what you want done at your death, but it does not teach anyone how to run a farm, and that gap is where many families get stuck. In this episode of the five-part Nebraska FARMcast series on building a farm succession plan, Jessica Groskopf, Extension agricultural economist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, breaks down the four documents at the heart of an e...

Most farmers and ranchers never plan to fully retire, which is why Jessica Groskopf calls this stage sunset planning rather than retirement. In the final episode of the five-part Nebraska FARMcast series on building a farm succession plan, Groskopf, Extension agricultural economist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, looks at what it takes to shift from owner-operator to owner. She covers the f...

A farm can pass to the next generation on paper long before the next generation is ready to run it, and that gap is where transitions break down. In this episode of the five-part Nebraska FARMcast series on building a farm succession plan, Anastasia Meyer, Extension agricultural economist with the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, breaks succession into t...

A pilot study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln looked at what livestock sale barns provide beyond their economic function, and found they play a significant role in supporting rural community and personal well-being. Nebraska Extension livestock systems educators Bethany Johnston and Randy Saner share findings from surveys and interviews conducted at four sale barns across the state. They d...

Before a farm or ranch moves to the next generation, families have to answer a hard question: is the operation viable enough to support another household? In this episode of the five-part Nebraska FARMcast series on building a farm succession plan, Anastasia Meyer, Extension agricultural economist with the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, walks through b...

Succession planning often begins with a legal document, but that document is only one piece of a much larger process. In the first episode of this five-part Nebraska FARMcast series on building a farm succession plan, Anastasia Meyer, Extension agricultural economist with the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, explains why a good plan is really a transitio...

Feeder cattle prices can drop faster than any producer expects, and Livestock Risk Protection insurance is one tool for managing that risk. Jay Parsons, professor of agricultural economics and director of the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, joins the show to explain how LRP works for feeder cattle, why participation in Nebraska has climbed sharply in re...

Anastasia Meyer, extension educator in agricultural economics with the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, breaks down what belongs in a written farm or ranch lease and why it matters, especially for landowners who recently inherited ground. She covers the difference between cash rent and crop share arrangements, what Nebraska's verbal lease law require...

With: Allan Vyhnalek, Nebraska Extension Educator Emeritus. Are you a landowner thinking about the future of your operation, but don’t have a clear successor? This episode will walk you through how to apply for the Nebraska Land Link program as a landowner. It covers what information you need, how the matching process works, and how to position yourself to find the right fit for your land and lega...

When wildfires hit central and western Nebraska this spring, producers were left with urgent questions about recovery, and USDA stepped in with several programs to help. In this episode, host Morgan Bonifas, CAP intern, shares a recording from a CAP webinar featuring USDA Farm Service Agency staff Hilary Miracle, Megan Sunderland and Dana Ingerson, along with Conor Ward from the USDA Natural Resou...

Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska is hosting Local Food Showcases in communities across the state this summer, free events where people can sample dishes made from locally grown ingredients and meet the farmers who grew them. Program Coordinator Michelle Garwood and Program Specialist Skylar Falter join Nebraska FARMcast to talk about what these showcases look like in practice, from taste tests built a...

When drought or other weather conditions force producers to sell livestock earlier than planned or reduce herd numbers, the tax consequences can be significant. In this episode, Tina Barrett, executive director of Nebraska Farm Business, Inc., walks through the two main deferral options available to producers under federal tax law, explains how to determine whether deferring income actually makes...