Farmers in several Kansas counties got a crash course in agricultural law and estate planning as part of a day-long conference cosponsored by the Farm Service Agency offices in Douglas, Franklin, Osage and Shawnee counties.
“I now have a better understanding of the importance of written hunting and farm lease agreements between all people involved and also the importance of passing property on to my children,” said Cynthia Hrenchir, a producer who attended the conference. Hrenchir shared her sentiment with other producers who listened to Mike Irvin’s presentation on “Ag Law: Leasing, Fencing, Eminent Domain,” and Shon Robben’s presentation on “Estate and Tax Planning for Farm Families.”
As director of the Kansas Farm Bureau Legal Foundation, Irvin weeded through the legal terminology associated with hunting and crop leases and highlighted information on fencing laws that are consistently changing based on state legislation.
“Many people in attendance had not considered these laws, and some of them never thought about having a trust or passing the farm down to the next generation,” said Lance Thompson, county executive director for Shawnee County. “These issues are just as important as knowing how to manage the day-to-day operations of a farm.”
Robben, attorney with the Arthur-Green Law Firm, provided information on planning for the future of the farm. He discussed what to consider when making an estate plan for a farm operation and the importance of long-term care when planning a farm estate plan.
”The goal of the conference was to bring all sectors of the agricultural industry together — producers, agricultural industry representatives, and government — to provide updated information on popular, yet challenging agricultural topics,” said Thompson. “I think we met our goal because many people gave us feedback on how they never considered estate planning or they received an answer to their tax or lease question.”
This is the second Ag Stewardship Conference sponsored by the four county offices. Following the theme “People Helping People,” the conference hosted more than 170 producers who attended three other sessions that included “Marketing in Uncertain Times,” “Challenges of Drought” and “Ag Policy, 2012 Farm Bill.”
“Producers said they took away several tools that could improve their farming operation,” said Douglas County Executive Director Johnathon Alley. “I think the success of the conference was the result of a completely collaborative effort made by all agencies and organizations that participated.”
Other collaborators included Frontier Farm Credit, Kansas Farm Bureau, Ag Choice, Ottawa Coop, Kansas Alliance for Wetland and Streams, WIBW 580 AM Radio and KOFO 1220 AM.
Special thanks to Johnathon Alley, Debbie Chappelle, Jody Hickert, Cindy Westervelt, David Hornung, Sharon Shields, Shirley Giles, Russell Warner, Stacy Kull, Tammy Nichols, Julie Hibdon, Rachel Roberts, Michelle Feltner, Kim Worthing, Kacey Johnston, Terri Osborn, Lance Thompson, Nicole Welborn and Kellen Liebsch.
