Articles

Sweat equity and farming

In farming, sweat equity is a term that is loosely used to define how established farmers use payment of a commodity or capital assets to replace some of the cash wages for employees. Sweat equity is also the term sometimes used to compensate a successor for years of labor and management that helped build the owner generation’s wealth.

What are the Tax Implications of Sweat Equity Arrangements on Wisconsin Farms?

In farming, sweat equity is a term that is loosely used to define the practice of using a commodity or capital asset to replace some of the cash wages for employees. Often times farms do not know how to document sweat equity as a payment for wages.

Tools for Pricing Standing Corn Silage

Tools are available to help corn growers and dairy and livestock producers negotiate a fair price for corn silage.

Repairs and Improvements on a Rented Farm or Land

The landlord and tenant need to discuss improvements and repairs of the property before the lease begins. There is no right answer as to who should pay for what. A written lease detailing the responsibility of each party and agreeing to these items ahead of time will make the landlord-tenant relationship less troublesome.

What you should know about farm leases

Leases play an important role for over 22,600 farms in the state. Yet many farm landlords and tenants are unfamiliar with the components of a lease and the landlord/tenant relationship.

Wisconsin Agricultural Land Prices 2020

This report provides a statewide overview of agricultural land values across Wisconsin based on a statistical analysis of actual sales and now includes the weighted average price of agricultural land sold in Wisconsin.

Manure Value Calculator spreadsheet helps farmers determine credit for fertilizer nutrients

The Manure Value Calculator spreadsheet is available to calculate the value of manure nutrients.

What’s the value of being a good boss?

The reduction in stress is a significant benefit of being a “good boss.” Then there’s the fact that well-trained employees take better care of cows and equipment.

Common strategies to consider for Fair vs Equal

Research shows that the division of assets for inheritance is a common tension around farm succession planning. In some cases, the tension can be so great that the owner generation avoids making a decision until it’s too late. Take time to learn the contrast between fair vs. equal distribution of farm assets.

Farm asset division a 21st-century conundrum

The best way to divide farm assets is a challenge that farm families face with each generation of owners. The fear of upsetting one’s children often causes parents to divide farm and family assets equally among all heirs. This is the second of a 3-part series about fair vs equal distribution of farm assets.

Long-Term Farm Viability

Long-term farm economic viability is the product of three parts – performance, capacity, and resilience. Performance is an efficiency measure, the ability of the farm business to create profit margins per unit of production. Capacity is whether there are enough production units (acres, cows, etc.) that when multiplied over the profit margin will cover debt service, asset maintenance and replacement, retained earnings and family living. Resilience is the ability of the business to take a punch and bounce back to normal operations.