Social Security taxes are a major and growing expense of operating a farm business. Self-employed farmers and family farm workers have some flexibility in managing cash income subject to Social Security. A basic understanding of Social Security benefits as well as costs is required to make a...

With the 2009 milk prices still fresh on everyone’s mind, there has been increased interest in ways to limit milk price volatility. Using SERF, this paper determined some dairies are willing to pay for limited milk price volatility and found a value they are willing to pay using risk premiums.

Animal identification has been one of the most contentious issues for the last decade in the livestock industry. More specifically, at issue is the idea of a government-sponsored identification system, although it is unclear that an identification system forced on the industry by the market...

The majority of farm families have not named a successor nor developed an up-to-date farm business transition and estate plan. This program effort was designed to enable these farm families gain a better understanding of the process required and thus develop and implement a farm transition and...