Ag-Visors

In a new Tax Court case, Freddie and Edith Stromatt, won on the question of whether their cattle activity was to be treated as a business (T.C. Summary Opinion 2011-42).

Well, now that we have Trich in the area and laws to try and protect us; how do we prevent the disease? Management, management and more management. I will try and explain this in this article.

Under the IRS hobby loss rule if you have losses in connection with any farming activity, whether livestock, horses or crops, the IRS may suspect that the activity is engaged in as a hobby rather than a business, particularly if there is a history of losses.

"Do I really need a business plan?” We hear this often around the bank from customers, and agricultural business customers are no exception. Customers and potential customers come into our lobby seeking information about a loan to expand their farm, purchase new equipment and so on. The correct answer according to how we make our loan decisions is:  “Certain circumstances would require one, yes, but not all. Generally, loans for larger amounts of money or more complex projects do need one, but smaller amounts do not.” Although aspects of a typical business plan may not apply to your particular farm or ranch, they are still an important tool and resource for your everyday operations.

Since the first of the year Arkansas has had an explosion of Trichimoniasis cases in bulls. In talking to Dr. Pat Badley, Arkansas’ state veterinarian, he informed Ozarks Farm & Neighbor of 50+ confirmed cases in northwest Arkansas. In Oklahoma they have had 45 positive cases in northeastern Oklahoma, also. Therefore, you can see the alarming rate of infection in our area.

An insert in a recent issue of this publication forecasted the growth of the American cattle herd, which reminded me of a matter I handled recently. My client, who does not own much land, purchased a small herd of cows, and then entered into a bailment contract with a neighbor, a large landowner. His intent was to use his neighbor’s services and resources to grow the herd and take advantage of higher beef prices. Unfortunately, it did not turn out that way.  In this article, I will point out what my client got right and where he went wrong.

Lepto is a dreaded abortion disease of cattle. In the last few years we have figured more out about this problem. We have found Lepto to be in almost every mammal, including man. I have known a local dairyman that came down with it. He almost died in the hospital from it. Therefore, this is truly a zoonotic disease and can be transmitted to man.

All borrowers have a unique situation when applying for a loan. By using the 5Cs of credit, lenders can evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each situation individually. The factors taken into consideration are, character, capital, capacity, collateral and conditions. This series takes an in depth look at each individual criteria. This is the fourth installment, which discusses the importance of collateral.

Farms of similar type and size often have observed differences in net farm income. Net income on any farm depends on several factors. Most of the difference in net income between farms can be attributed to farm size, yields, input costs, enterprise (crop) combinations, fixed costs and commodity marketing. A complete analysis of these areas of the farm business should be conducted on a regular basis.

Throughout my career with University of Missouri Extension my role as been to help beef producers find ways to improve their profitability. I’ve noticed producers often look for the “silver bullet” in some gadget form that will suddenly cure all their woes. The “silver bullet” we’ve all been looking for may not be a gadget at all, it may have been there all along – management.