Conferences
Big Questions and Innovative Solutions in Land Management
Jim Jansen and Anastasia Meyer
Summary
The “Big Questions and Innovative Solutions in Land Management” extension meeting series provides outreach to clientele on addressing financial and legal issues for agricultural operations that manage or lease land to effectively sustain risk from economic and regulatory forces. Funding in 2024 by the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center allowed this program to be delivered across 15 meeting sites in Nebraska, with over 200 people in attendance representing diverse operations across the state.
The program curriculum addressed risk management strategies, including developing financial analysis skills to evaluate economic forces impacting their land asset; effective communication and negotiation skills to manage inherent risk; and developing the business acumen to successfully navigate complex legal challenges in agricultural leases or land succession. Effective financial analysis decision-making addresses the necessary skills for assessing current economic forces in land markets involving cash rents or land purchases. Furthermore, addressing pitfalls in operation communication enables proper negotiation strategies to develop workable solutions involving complex internal or external risks. Developing skills to traverse complex legal challenges requires a keen understanding of the forces impacting lease contracts and transitioning land. Operations improve their economic viability and longevity by implementing effective risk management practices.
To determine the effectiveness of this outreach program, an end-of-meeting evaluation (n = 153) was presented to those in attendance. From these evaluations, 95.2% of participants rated the quality of the presentation as good to very good, 73.9% of participants planned to evaluate current financial risks influencing agricultural operations, land values, and land contracts, and 51.7% indicated the desire to implement effective techniques to reduce operation liability or legal concerns within the next six months to one year.
Details
| Conference | 2025 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference |
| Presentation Type | Poster |