Photo: Landowner Lee Tesdell and his sons, Omar and Ramsey, on their farm in Polk County, Iowa (photo provided by Practical Farmers of Iowa)

Peoples Company Land Managers understand the commitment to best farming practices is an ongoing process. Like farmers across the country, we build management plans specific to each farm and lean on industry research to adapt and improve those plans. We seek out new technology that allows us to document and analyze data for more informed decision making.

The management cycle of strategy, execution, and improvement is in full swing as we look to mid-summer. Peoples Company Land Managers are completing post-plant farm tours and scheduling droning and tenant meetings for July/early August. This collected information is shared with landowners in late summer as lease planning begins for the 2021 year.

There will certainly be a lot to consider for 2021. Significant market volatility for many crops across the country and current events will play a role in 2021 planning. Now is a good time for landowners to build a base of resources to return to later in the year.

Peoples Company has partnered with industry leaders on publications and research that address issues of land conservation and ownership. Two white papers shared on the company website have held the test of time and continue to be an excellent source for landowners:

• Socially Responsible Farmland Investment, Dr. Mike Duffy and Steve Bruere (link)
• Your Farmland and the Future, Teresa Opheim and Steve Bruere (link)

As social distancing has moved many online, organizations have looked for new ways to share resources and have built out online reading and video to better serve their audiences.  Peoples Company is a member of Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), a farmer-led organization with members across the country whose mission is to help farmers build resilient farms and communities.  At the beginning of 2020, PFI launched new programming directed to non-farming landowners.

“We know that the majority of farmland in Iowa is not farmed by the people who own it,” says Jorgen Rose of Practical Farmers of Iowa. “Non-operating landowners have a huge role to play in stewarding our natural resources and building a resilient, diverse and profitable agriculture; our goal is to connect them with the resources they need to make decisions about their farmland.”

Landowners can visit PFI’s landowner webpage and can sign up for PFI’s quarterly e-newsletter here.

PFI’s virtual field days can be accessed by landowners and operators living in or outside of Iowa. Visit PFI’s calendar of events to see what is coming up in July. On Friday, July 17th from 3-4 p.m., make sure to join the online Farm Managers Panel to hear Peoples Company’s Mollie Aronowitz speak about landowner-tenant topics. You can register here.

PFI also suggests these resources from other parts of the country:

• The Farmland Information Center has a variety of information and resources for landowners. 
• The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) has significant resources for landowners that can be found here. In particular, their Conservation Leasing Toolkit is a great resource. 

Peoples Company Land Managers are available as a trusted and knowledgeable resource for landowners on both a consulting basis or full management to help meet landowner goals for farm use and productivity. To learn more, email LandManagement@PeoplesCompany.com or call 855.800.5263 (LAND).