Land managers, appraisers, real estate professionals and others with a vested interest in the Iowa land market will gather for the Soil Management Land Valuation Conference on May 18 in Ames.

This meeting will mark the 89th annual conference in this series. Sponsored by the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and ISU Extension, this top-notch, informative conference is designed for everyone who has an interest in agricultural land, land management or land valuation throughout the state of Iowa.

This year’s program will examine industry staples such as property management, appraisal, and sale / purchase as six timely issues and their implications on soil management and land valuation will be presented by leading experts.

These topics include:

1. The world economic outlook and its relationship to the agricultural sector in the U.S. and in Iowa

2. Current situations and future outlook for Iowa cash rental market trends

3. Weather outlook and how to make better decisions with increasingly available remote weather technology and tools

4. Soil fertility management under low-to-negative production margins

5. The science of and the scale of implementation needed to improve water quality through three critical nutrient management practices including cover crops, wetlands, and conservation drainage

6. The trends in demand for hunting leases and its relationship to rural property appraisals and Iowa farmland values

The Iowa Appraisal Examining Board has approved the conference for six (6) hours of continuing education. Additionally, the Iowa Real Estate Commission has given its approval for six (6) hours of continuing education credits for renewal of a real estate salesperson and broker’s license.

For further details or to register for the conference, please visit register.extension.iastate.edu/smlv.