Soil Management & Land Valuation Conference 2017 in Ames | IAWA

Agricultural Land, Land Management and Land Valuation

The longest-running conference at Iowa State University is turning 90.

The 90th annual Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference will be held on Wednesday, May 17 at the Scheman Building. The Scheman Building is located on the Iowa State University campus. Anyone who has an interest in agricultural land, land management and land valuation is welcome at the conference.

“We are three or four years into this current farm economic downturn and with a newly elected administration the farm economy is facing a lot of uncertainty,” said Wendong Zhang, assistant professor and extension economist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “This conference will provide insights into where the ag economy and in particular farmland markets are going.”

Discussion Topics

This year’s program will examine current issues in rural property management, appraisal, sale and purchase. The six issues with implications to soil management and land valuation that will be presented are:

• The current situation and uncertainty in agricultural trade and the implications for the agricultural economy;
• Current situations and future outlook for the agricultural financial conditions in the farm downturn;
• Weather outlook and its impacts on agricultural production;
• Panel discussion on the 90-year evolution of soil management and land valuation conference, especially historical focus and future directions;
• Farm downturn, population change and the impact on rural communities; and
• A legal update concerning the Des Moines Water Works, as well as mergers and anti-trust regulations.

“These topics represent many hot-button issues in the ag industry,” Zhang said. “We will examine what demand will look like in the future and how big an impact declining profit margins will have on producers and the industry as a whole. The objective is to try to provide insights into the current economic situation and the near-term outlook of the ag economy.”

For more information about this event and how to register you can visit here. Further, you can get directions to the event here.