Federation of State Beef Councils Update continued from page 42 Animal Health. “Working with the NCBA and state cattle associations is another way that Merck Animal Health works for our beef producing customers, and we couldn’t be more excited to return in person to these important events.” For details about upcoming Stockmanship & Stewardship events and registration information, visit www. StockmanshipAndStewardship.org. Health Professional Outreach Promotes Beef as an Early Food for Infants and Toddlers. Feeding nutrient rich foods, like beef, as a complementary food to infants and toddlers may be a new concept for some, with the 20202025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) making recommendations for the first time to include these foods, starting around six months of age.1 This is new information not only for parents but for health professionals as well, including pediatricians, dietitians, and
other pediatric feeding experts. NCBA, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is conducting extensive outreach to these professionals to educate them about the new recommendations and the nutritional benefits of beef in the early years. On April 27, a “Growing Up Strong: Prioritizing Critical Nutrients from Birth to Adolescence” webinar was held to educate and inform health professionals about the new DGA recommendations for children between birth and 24 months of age, highlighting the critical nutrients beef offers to help close nutrient gaps and support healthy growth and development in the early and adolescent years. Moderated by Dr. Keith Ayoob, a pediatric nutritionist and registered dietitian who works on obesity, heart health, and family dynamics, the webinar featured speakers Dr. Heather Leidy and Marina Chaparro. Leidy is a nutrition researcher who examines the effects of
NEWS Competitive Bidding Pushes Land Prices Higher. Interest in purchasing agricultural land has grown since a coronavirus pandemic induced slowdown blanketed the land market last spring. Farmers are feeling more financially secure as very strong commodity prices arrived on top of large government payments in 2020. This is propelling farmers to bid more aggressively for additional land than has been the case during the past six years. “Farmland sales prices are up 5-15 percent in the past six months with most of the increase coming since the first of the year,” said Randy Dickhut, senior vice president of real estate operations at Farmers National Company. “Competitive bidding among interested buyers is really pushing land prices right now.” Individual investors, both first time and experienced buyers, are stepping into the land market as they search for a safe, long term real estate investment in a low interest rate environment. Investor buyers seldom outbid farmer-buyers for
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a good farm unless they have 1031 tax deferred exchange funds to spend in a short time period. The increase in ag land prices is happening in most areas of the Grain Belt and with most types of land. “At Farmers National Company auctions, we are seeing competitive bidding push prices for good cropland to levels approaching 2014 values,” Dickhut said. “Average to lower quality farms are experiencing stronger sales prices, too, while pastureland increases are more modest.” Currently, the demand for good farmland is outstripping the supply of farms for sale. During the previous few years, the number of farms for sale has been lower, but there remained enough demand in the farmland market to balance the lower supply resulting in steady land prices. At this time, the strong demand to own farmland is one of the main factors pushing prices higher. “In order for the seller to get top dollar in the current land market, they have to ensure there is true competitive bidding,” said Dickhut. “Farmers National Company and its agents employ the most
The Carolina Cattle Connection q JULY 2021
dietary protein quantity, quality, and timing of consumption on the metabolic, hormonal, and neural signals that promote satiety, healthy eating behavior, and weight management across the lifespan, and was also a member of the 2020-2025 DGA Committee responsible for the new recommendations. Chaparro is a mom of two as well as a registered dietitian specializing in pediatric nutrition and diabetes education. Speakers discussed the evidence behind beef’s role in healthy dietary patterns to cultivate and optimize well being from the early years to adolescence. They also addressed common misperceptions and inspired ways to build balanced, nutrient dense meals children will enjoy – to make every bite count from the beginning and through teenage years. The webinar was very successful, with 3,463 registrants and 1,525 live
attendees. In addition, 2,768 new contacts were added to the nutrition listserv and will now receive the quarterly beef nutrition e-newsletter. According to feedback from the survey following the event, nearly 70 percent of individuals indicated they would make changes to their practice based on webinar key learnings, and nearly 70 percent felt “very confident” recommending beef as a complementary early food for infants and toddlers, which was an 18.2 percent increase from pre-webinar survey results. “It is encouraging to see such a positive shift in opinion as a result of the information presented during the webinar,” said Executive Director of Nutrition Science, Health & Wellness at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Shalene McNeill, Ph.D., RDN, “Events like this and Beef Checkoff efforts to educate health professionals are working to expand the
comprehensive platform of competitive bidding systems available in order to get the best price for sellers including public outcry auctions, a full array of online and simultaneous live auctions, various written bidding mechanisms, and other bidding or listing platforms.” Higher land values will bring more sellers into the market as estates, trusts, recent inheritors, and family groups will decide to sell the farm or ranch and capture the higher prices. Also, uncertainty surrounding future tax policies will trigger a sale sooner than later for some. Landowners who are thinking of selling their farm are now factoring in both the higher proceeds they would get from the sale, and what potential tax obligations might be due. The land market will be balancing increased demand for good cropland against what might be an increasing supply of farms for sale. “Our agents are fielding an increased number of calls from landowners who want to sell because of the aforementioned reasons. Our pipeline of sales activity for summer and fall is filling up,” Dickhut said. Farmers National Company’s land sales activity has already been very brisk and above the market the past seven months, with dollar volume of land sold up 60 percent over last year and up 67 percent over the average of the past three years. The number of acres sold in this time
period is up 64 percent from last year. “In a rising land market, it becomes more difficult to predict what a farm will actually sell for on any given day, especially when there is demand from both farmers and investors,” Dickhut said. “The best way to sell cropland in the current market is to take it to auction or some form of competitive bidding that brings together the potential buyers and lets them push the price,” he said. About Farmers National Company. Farmers National Company, an employee owned company, is the nation’s leading agricultural landowner services company. Over the last five years, Farmers National Company has sold 3,938 properties (1,404 at auction) and more than $5.02 billion of real estate during the last ten years. The company manages more than 5,000 farms and ranches in 29 states comprising more than two million acres. Additional services provided by the company include auctions, appraisals and valuation services, insurance, consultation, oil and gas management, a national hunting lease program, forest resource management, and FNC Ag Stock. For more information on our company and the services provided, visit the Farmers National Company website at www.FarmersNational.com.
