Advertise on podcast: Nebraska FARMcast - Farm and Ranch Management

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

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 and WIC. They also preview the 2026 Grocery Industry Summit in Kearney and explain how cooperative ownership models have helped some Nebraska communities bring back a store after it closed. Find out more about the summit, Aug. 20, 2026, in Kearney, at https://nebgrocery.com

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 experiences, and put your best foot forward in the matching process. Produced and hosted by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link Intern More: https://cap.unl.edu/landlink

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 replacements and rebuild the herd. Lubben walks through the five areas of risk, production, marketing, financial, legal and human, and explains why the human side, from labor to succession planning, often gets put off the longest. The conversation also covers what producers considering diversification or direct marketing should watch for, and how the Extension Risk Management Education program connects producers with risk management education and resources in their area. More: https://cap.unl.edu/news/learn-how-mitigate-risk-your-farm/

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 estate plan: a will, a power of attorney, a health care power of attorney and a living will. She explains probate, how a trust can help you avoid it, and why beneficiary designations and property titling deserve a careful review. Produced and hosted by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link Program Intern. Find resources for farm and ranch transition and estate planning on the Center for Agricultural Profitability's website, https://cap.unl.edu/succession.

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 financial questions to work through with an ag-savvy financial adviser, why long-term care is one of the biggest concerns families face, and how renting out land in retirement can affect Social Security benefits. Produced and hosted by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link Program Intern. Find resources for farm and ranch transition and estate planning on the Center for Agricultural Profitability's website, https://cap.unl.edu/succession.

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 three parts: labor, management and ownership. She explains why management is the hardest piece to hand off and the easiest to skip, and how bringing an heir into bank meetings, insurance meetings and smaller decisions early builds the experience they'll need before ownership ever changes hands. Produced and hosted by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link Program Intern. Find resources for farm and ranch transition and estate planning on the Center for Agricultural Profitability's website, https://cap.unl.edu/succession.

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 discuss why more than half of attendees said socializing was their main reason for coming, how sale barns build trust between buyers and sellers, the way these markets support local businesses, and what it means for a rural community when a barn closes. The conversation also covers online auctions, mental health, and ideas for keeping sale barns viable, including mentoring younger producers and offering on-site health screenings. [ The study, led by Marilyn Schlake and Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel in UNL's Department of Agricultural Economics, can be found at https://cap.unl.edu/salebarns. This episode's audio is taken from a Center for Agricultural Profitability webinar held on May 14, 2026. Produced and hosted by Morgan Bonifas, CAP communications intern.

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 business planning and the family meetings that make a transition work. She covers how to talk openly about financials and debt, who to invite to the table, and the ground rules that keep those conversations productive when the subject matter gets personal. Produced and hosted by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link Program Intern. Find resources for farm and ranch transition and estate planning on the Center for Agricultural Profitability's website, https://cap.unl.edu/succession.

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 transition plan, one that unfolds over three to five years or more. She covers the conversations families need to have, the fears both generations bring to the table, and the team of professionals, from an ag-focused attorney to a tax adviser and lender, that a farm or ranch family should assemble before making decisions. Produced and hosted by Lexi Bodlak, Nebraska Land Link Program Intern. Find resources for farm and ranch transition and estate planning on the Center for Agricultural Profitability's website, https://cap.unl.edu/succession.

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 recent years, and how the program has changed for new and beginning producers under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Parsons draws on 21 years of tracking a single policy to show when the coverage pays off and when it doesn't. https://cap.unl.edu/news/lrp-feeder-cattle-insurance-recent-enhancement-and-performance-history/