Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Cassidy Walter The morning of August 10, 2020, Dave Hommel was walking his fields in Grundy County, Iowa. The wind was picking up and he knew a big storm was on its way when he saw oak trees starting to bend. The derecho was coming with wind speeds exceeding 120 mph. Read More

By: Des Keller In 2018, Andrew Reuschel, a Golden, Illinois, farmer, was moving firmly down a regenerative agriculture path that is key in building soil carbon. Following in a soil conservation mode begun by his grandfather, Louis, and continued with his father, Jeff, their fields were nearing 100% no-till. Andrew continuously experimented with multispecies cover […]

By: Laurie Bedord As the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off today, John Deere announces two new technologies – ExactShot and a fully electric excavator – during the keynote address. This important opening session featured John May, John Deere CEO. He is the first ag tech executive to lead this keynote. Jahmy Hindman, CTO at John […]

By: Alex Gray The Active Cargo System (ACS) by Leitner Designs is a modular rack system for your pickup truck of choice, with a range of sizes available for models ranging as far back as 1999. Leitner offers three variations to the ACS: the Classic model, tonneau truck bed cover compatible model, and the company’s […]

By: Mark McLaughlin Problem: how can we offset land vs. non-farm assets between heirs when values constantly change? We have one son who farms with us. Our other son has a great job two hours away. He appreciates the operation but will never come back to farm. We want to be fair to both, but […]

By: Myron Friesen Problem: How do you put a price on the livestock portion of a farming operation when estate planning? Our farm has both land and livestock. I think I know what we need to do with the land portion of our planning, but the livestock portion of our estate is the challenge. We […]

By: Laurie Bedord Every farm has a history, but the story of Arnold farm in Rushville, Indiana, is preserved better than most. From letters, diaries, and photos to a saddlebag medicine kit and furniture, the Arnolds believed in saving every slice of their history. For nearly 75 years, Eleanor Arnold has been discovering and documenting […]

By: Shawna Williamson Losing someone you love and then almost immediately having to take care of legal and financial matters is a difficult situation. During the past 30 years, I’ve advised numerous people how to perform the duties of executor. They are normally overwhelmed and frustrated. However, I reassure them that it will be OK, […]

By: Cassidy Walter September 1 marks the automatic oral lease renewal date in South Dakota and Iowa, but the experts say it’s time to turn a handshake agreement into a hand-signed agreement. While less common today, handshake or oral lease agreements are still at play in American agriculture. Read More

Ed Terry of Northfield, Minnesota, has celebrated major milestones in the past year. In addition to his family farm reaching its sesquicentennial, Terry retired after 51 years teaching agriculture and serving as an FFA advisor. Terry’s teaching career began in 1968 in Farmington, Minnesota. He had earned a degree in agricultural education because the family […]