2020 Tax Update

By Suzy Martin | KFBM Area Extension Specialist
Published on Nov. 25, 2020

Despite all the events of 2020, the tax law changes were minimal.

Hired Farm Labor and the Role of Hispanic Workers

By Steve Isaacs | Extension Professor
Published on Oct. 29, 2020

Family members provide about two-thirds of the workers on U.S. farms, but the remaining one-third consists of 1.18 million hired workers. While not an insignificant number, the 1.18 million farmworkers represent less than one percent of the total U.S. wage and salary workers.

Payroll Requirements for Farm Employers

By Michael Forsythe | KFBM Area Extension Specialist
Published on Sep. 22, 2020

Farming operations come in all different shapes and sizes.  This means their need for employees is also different.  A small farm may not need to hire any employees, but a bigger farm may need to hire full-time and/or part-time employees.  When a farmer decides to hire an employee, there are several steps they need to take to make sure all of the

Considerations for Future Utility Scale Solar Farm Developments

By Alison Davis | Extension Professor
Published on Sep. 1, 2020

An effort to rely on renewable resources instead of nonrenewable has the potential to meet the increased global demand for electricity. Both solar and wind energy have the potential to offset a significant fraction of non-renewable electricity demands, yet it occupies extensive land when deployed at levels large enough to meet global demand.

Government Payments 2010-2019

By Jerry Pierce | KFBM Program Coordinator
Published on Aug. 25, 2020

Agricultural government payments were created to help provide financial stability for farms and farmers. In recent years they have become a substantial support to ailing farm income. Background

Managing Risk with Insurance

By Lauren Omer Turley | KFBM Area Extension Specialist
Published on Aug. 25, 2020

With all of the uncertainties we face in agriculture today, it is important to manage risk. We can’t control the markets, the weather, or the dangers of working in agriculture, but there are tools that can help manage those risks.  Insurance is one of the tools that can be used in various manners.

2020 Land Values Report

By Steve Isaacs | Extension Professor
Published on Aug. 13, 2020

The 2020 Land Values Summary was released by USDA on Thursday, August 6. This annual report indicates the average value of all land and buildings on farms in the US, and by state and region. Three categories are measured: Farm Real Estate Value, Cropland Value, and Pasture value.

Be Proactive Rather than Reactive in Hard Financial Times

By Tarrah Hardin | KFBM Area Extension Specialist
Published on Jul. 28, 2020

When facing hard financial times, like the ones we are currently facing, it is very easy to sit back and let the cards fall and hope that they are in your favor. This approach is very risky and most of the time will not end the favor of the one being reactive to the situation.

Crop Insurance as a Tool for Managing Farm Risk

By Jerry Pierce | KFBM Program Coordinator
Published on Jul. 28, 2020

Crop insurance was authorized by Congress in the 1930s on an experimental basis to insure against crop loss from “unavoidable perils beyond the farmer's control.” It was made permanent with the passage of the Federal Crop Insurance Act of 1980.

Workforce Planning in the Time of COVID

By Steve Isaacs | Extension Professor
Published on Jun. 29, 2020

The pandemic has disrupted almost every phase of our lives. One of the most visible has been the workplace. Layoffs, furloughs, shutdowns, working remotely, social distancing and public health considerations have permanently changed the way we work.