Top Farmer Conference: January 10, 2025

As one of the most successful and longest-running management programs specifically crafted for farmers, the Purdue Top Farmer Conference is a one-day event for agricultural producers and agribusiness professionals looking to navigate the complexities of today's agricultural landscape. Participants will have the opportunity to network with peers and hear from farm management experts and agricultural economists from Purdue, Farm Credit Services of America, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Acres, a land value data analytics company.

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family farm

10 Tips for Communication in Your Farm Business

On this episode Purdue ag economist Brady Brewer hosts a discussion that will provide you with 10 tips for better communication within your farm business. Joining Dr. Brewer is Family Business Management Specialist Renee Wiatt, Extension Area XI Director Kelly Heckaman, and Fayette County ANR Educator Heather Caldwell.

Is it Feasible for my Farm to Add an Operator or Hired Employee?

As a farm expands, it is important to evaluate the feasibility of adding an operator and/or hired employees as well as the feasibility of purchasing or renting additional land, and machinery and equipment. The feasibility of augmenting labor on a farm depends on two critical factors: gross revenue and profitability.

Transferring Business Management

Transferring business management between generations is one of the most critical steps in transitioning the business from an older generation to a younger generation.

How Should Business Income be Divided?

A model described that can be used to divide farm business income and provided an illustration of how this model could be used in practice.

Should Sweat Equity be Used to Compensate a Returning Family Member?

Sweat equity may arise when an on-farm heir is paid less than their true opportunity cost to work for the business and/or the business has grown substantially due to the abilities and efforts of the on-farm heir.

Family Business as a Competitive Advantage

Recorded January 31, 2017 | James Mintert, Maria Marshall and Renee Wiatt talk about the competitive advantage of the family business and introduce the Purdue Institute of Family Firms.

Putting a Value on Sweat Equity in the Farm Business

Recorded August 23, 2016 | Michael Langemeier and Purdue Extension’s Denise Schroeder discuss how to divide business income between generations on a family farm and provide a simplified approach to valuing “sweat equity” in the family farming business.

Structural Change in Agriculture: Implications for the Farming Sector

The global food and agribusiness industry is in the midst of major changes – changes in product characteristics, in worldwide distribution and consumption, in technology, in size and structure of firms in the industry, and in geographic location of production and processing.

Center for Commercial Agriculture