Fourth-generation California dairyman Nevin Lemos credits his success to an entrepreneurial spirit and mindset that began at a young age. From selling sweet corn to dairy farming and now producing teat dip, Lemos wants to "build a sustainable and personally fulfilling business."

For those of you who have been in the cattle production business for any amount of time, you have probably been burned once or twice by a handshake lease deal gone wrong.

Whether dairy producers are making the switch to automation for the first time or adding to existing equipment, preowned systems offer access to the benefits of automation at significant savings from new pricing.

If renting the land on better terms is the goal and farmers want the best alternative to continue at regular terms, then maintaining the landlord relationship is key. An adversarial negotiation may not be the way, but there is another way – a friendly negotiation, or better yet, a friendly conversation. After all, by definition, a negotiation is simply a conversation aimed at reaching an agreement.

What do these three things have in common? Most farmers and ranchers would tell you that they miss the “good old days.” You know, the days when a man’s word was much more trustworthy than any piece of paper.

Agricultural land provides food, feed, fiber and fuel. At the same time, much of that land could also support clean electricity by housing utility-scale wind and solar energy installations. This can create conflict between competing land uses.

According to the USDA’s Land Values 2023 Summary, farm real estate value – a measurement of value for all land and buildings on farms – averaged $4,080 per acre in 2023. This was a 7.4% (about $280) increase from 2022.

Shawn and Brandon Hurst, the father-and-son duo behind Hurst Brand Farms in Declo, Idaho, embody a unique blend of tradition and innovation. Rooted in a 90-year history of growing sugarbeets and wheat, their family farm now in its fourth generation and has expanded over the years to include potatoes, corn, alfalfa, pumpkins and sunflowers.