At Farmers National Company we are proud of the many long-term relationships we have with our clients. We currently have over 1,500 clients that have been with us for over 25 years. We are also proud of the fact that we have over 300 clients where we have managed their farms for over 50 years continuously. All of our clients are on one-year contract with Farmers National Company. 

  

Richard C. Rowe 

Iowa 

  

My sister and I owned approximately 89 acres north of Burlington.  Since I am a real estate broker in St. Louis I truly only considered listing the property with a local real estate company.  However, after meeting with John I decided to employ Farmers National to auction our property. 

   

I was extremely pleased with John's professionalism, knowledge and ability.  We communicated several times each week from the time we signed the contract to the sale date.  He was helpful in making decisions concerning what work should or should not be completed to the property to bring the best price.  He was instrumental in acquiring contractors to complete the work and since I am in St. Louis he also supervised.  We received numerous pictures of the property at various stages throughout the contract period.  As a real estate professional I can confidently state that John went above and beyond what I expected.  

   

  

Madie Ivy Head 

Texas 

  

Love for the Land 

  

Madie Ivy Head grew up on a Texas Ranch. Her parents instilled in her a love for the land that she carries with her today. As her parents aged and the ranch passed to the next generation, it became increasingly difficult to look after the land. In 2010, Ivy sought help to analyze what needed to be done with the ranch to bring it back up to the quality operation that it had been.  

  

"I turned to the Farmers National Company team of ranch managers to help me with professional ranch management. The managers had the education and expertise to evaluate my ranch and handle it correctly. They bring their hands-on, boots-on-the-ground approach to managing water and grass assets on my ranch. The managers first did an analysis of what it would take to get my land back up to being a top-tier ranch. They then handled the improvement projects and kept me informed throughout." Today Ivy is moving ahead with the management plan developed for her ranch by the FNC ranch managers. Ivy has invested in 17 miles of new fencing and other improvements that will have the ranch in good shape for the next generation of her family. The managers have instituted a good cattle lease and are working to improve hunting and fishing revenues. "My Farmers National Company managers have a love for the land just like I do. They know ranching and it has made all the difference on my Kaliko Ranch."  

  

  

Minna Lou Mercer 

Nebraska 

  

Farmland is a Good Investment through the Generations 

  

Minna Lou Mercer never lived on a farm, but over the decades, her family has instilled into each succeeding generation the importance of owning farmland. "My mother had a very strong attachment to the land her grandfather had farmed, including land that had been in the family since the Civil War. For 70 years she told me 'don't sell the home place!'" 

  

Knowing that she can't manage the farms herself, Minna Lou turns to Farmers National Company and her two managers to take care of everything for her from leasing to financial reporting and everything in between. "I am really happy with the job everyone at Farmers National Company is doing for me. They consult with me regularly and they all are responsive to my needs."    

  

Minna Lou believes farmland is a good, solid investment for her. She is continuing the family tradition as she includes her daughters Michelle and Liane in on the importance of farmland to their family. Minna Lou appreciates that Farmers National Company is looking out after her best interests today and will be taking great care of the farms for the generations to come. 

  

  

Ty and Mary Olsen 

Indiana 

  

Trust in the Business of Farming 

  

Farmland ownership is important to Ty and Mary Olsen. Their goals include good-long term stewardship of their land as well as turning a profit in each year of operation. The Olsen's place their trust in John Mandeville, their Farmers National Company Farm Manager, to take care of the land and to run the farming business carried on there. 

  

"John is a pleasure to work with. Our farms are operated under custom farming arrangements with two operators, with whom John works to make crop plans and to get crops planted and harvested. He monitors crop conditions during the growing season and markets the grain from the farms. Over the years, he has improved soil and drainage conditions on the farms. He has produced excellent results for us, and we are very satisfied with the management of our farms.  John communicates often with us, and we learn something every time we talk!" 

  

Val McPherson and Viki Kugler  

Nebraska 

  

MANAGING THE FAMILY HERITAGE 

  

Lancaster County, Nebraska, landowners Val McPherson and Viki Kugler represent the third generation of ownership of the family farm. "Dad loved the land, he enjoyed going to the farm, walking on the land, and just spending time there," said Mr. McPherson. "Dad instilled in both of us the desire to take good care of the farm and leave it in better shape than we found it for the next generation. Dad would be very pleased with how my sister and I have been able to handle the farm working through Farmers National Company to not only maintain the land, but to improve it as well." 

  

As children, Val and Viki would visit the farm with their parents, so they have some knowledge of agriculture. When they became the stewards of the farm, they knew they needed professional help and they turned to Farmers National Company (FNC). At FNC, they work with Doug Hansen, AFM, Senior Farm Manager. According to Mr. McPherson, "We both really appreciate Doug's help as he has been instrumental in using farm programs to design conservation projects to improve our property. We currently have terracing and tile projects on the farm to improve the soil and productivity. Through Doug's help, we removed an old building site adding productive acres." 

  

Val McPherson and Viki Kugler have recently converted the ownership from a C Corporation to S Corporation. Changing the ownership structure along with quality stewardship of the farm will make it better for the next generation. 

  

  

Ron and Ruthe Meter 

Alliance, Nebraska 

  

"It takes a lifetime to build a dream!" 

  

"When the time came to change our farmland to a retirement fund, we needed expert advice, the experience of a nationwide sales company, and the expertise of a top-notch sales staff. We chose Jay Johnson with Farmers National Company to represent us in selling our farm in Alliance, Nebraska, and were confident that he was honest, trustworthy, reliable, and very professional. 

  

Jay rose to the challenge and the end result of the sale of our ag aland was extremely gratifying. Mr. Johnson represented himself and his company with pride and integrity, and we would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone desiring to sell or buy real estate." 

  

  

John and June Simon 

Nebraska 

  

Farmland As A Long-term Investment 

  

John and June Simon bought their first farm in 1990 through the assistance of the local Farmers National Company (FNC) agent. FNC staff worked diligently with the Simons to review the farms and evaluate each for investment quality. This was vitally important for the Simons because they were using hard earned money from other investments to buy their first farm. After careful consideration, Farmers National Company was the one they trusted to help them make the purchase. 

  

Over the years, several additional farms have been purchased to add to the farmland portfolio of the Simons. John and June turn to the trusted professionals at Farmers National Company to manage their farm investment because of the hands-on, local expertise of the farm managers. The accounting statements not only serve the needs of the Simons, but also make their tax accountant extremely happy.    

  

John and June are very pleased with their farmland investments. Farmers National  Company has been beside them from the beginning, assisting them in buying and managing each farm so that they are profitable and enjoyable to own. 

  

  

Dan and Charol Pleiss 

Omaha, Nebraska 

  

FNC Helps Make the Farm Investment Profitable 

  

Dan Pleiss, CPA, knows numbers and how business investments work. When it came time to invest in farmland, Dan and Charol turned to Farmers National Company for guidance in making farm ownership profitable.  

  

"My first introduction to Farmers National Company was through my father-in-law who worked at Farmers National Company for over 30 years. With the assistance of Farmers National Company, my wife and I made a farm investment. It was only fitting that we would continue to use their services to manage the farm investment. We have been very pleased with the results. The farm manager is available to answer questions regarding farm operations and grain marketing. The annual landowner workshops help to keep the landowner up to date on topics pertinent to the farming operations." 

  

  

John S. Wilson 

Managing General Partner 

Wilson Farms, Ltd. 

Iowa 

  

Security, Improvements, and Increased Profits 

  

Landowners have many reasons for turning to Farmers National Company for help with their farms. Nearly three decades ago, the Wilson family turned to Farmers National Company for security, improvement of the farms, and increased profits. 

  

"Over the 28 ensuing years since making our decision to employ Farmers National Company, we have profited with this management organization as a result of their recommendations. 

  

Presently, all our farms have now been completely converted to written, custom farming leases, as a result of spreadsheet analysis by our managers, which showed the greatest potential return, with managed risk, for our overall operation. We have benefited from other improvements which were all suggested by our farm managers. 

  

Farmers National Company, through their on-site managers and their expertise, has made many things possible for our family, including education of our children, comfortable retirement, and an overall feeling of security that we are well represented as absentee owners of our farmland in Iowa and Illinois. We feel quite confident that our children will inherit an extremely well-managed farm operation." 

  

  

Mike and Suzanne Palmer 

Colorado 

  

"Our family began farming in Nebraska back in the 1840s. The land passed down through Suzanne's grandfather William Straub, all the way to our children - the fifth generation to own farmland in Nebraska. It's been just about 50 years since Suzanne's father, Dwight Perkins, recognized the outstanding farm management offered by Farmers National Company and began working with them - to his great satisfaction. We have happily relied on them ever since. 

  

We live in Colorado and don't get back to Nebraska often; but thanks to Farmers National we have absolute confidence that our farms are being managed according to the highest professional standards. Through the years, Farmers National has done consistently excellent work on every aspect of farm operations. We particularly appreciate the dedicated, friendly, personal service we've always received, the clear detailed explanations of complex agricultural issues, and the depth of experience and knowledge that underlies everything they do. In addition, their long-term commitment to conservation of the land is impressive -- and reassuring for the future. 

  

The help and expertise of Bernie Winter and Rich Hickman have been invaluable in many, many ways and we truly can't thank them enough. 

  

If it were not for Farmers National, it would be impossible for us to continue to maintain our family's Nebraska farming heritage. We are grateful for all that Farmers National has done for us, and we recommend them without reservations." 

  

  

  

Ted and Fran Hiemstra 

Seattle, Washington 

   

"Over 70 years ago, Fran's grandfather Judge Frank Munday was wise enough to see the value in purchasing Nebraska farmland. When the farms were passed along to our generation from Fran's parents, we tried managing our farms from Seattle for a few years, but we just weren't confident that we were being good stewards of Judge Munday's legacy. 

  

After a visit to Nebraska in 2003, we began to consider hiring a professional farm management company. We were intrigued by the number of advantages: marketing expertise, up-to-date leasing contracts, active management of the land with an eye to environmentally sound farming practices, possible improvement of return on investment through 1031 exchanges, and "ease of mind" provided by Farmers National Company. 

  

FNC assigned managers for each of our farms and we began a long-distance relationship. One of the major changes was FNC's recommendation to sell two of the low-returning farms and purchase a higher quality farm through a 1031 exchange. Our return-on-equity is much improved and we're very pleased with Farmers National. Our managers keep us informed with frequent reports, phone calls, and emails. We are confident that we're being much better stewards of the land and the Munday legacy. We're excited about educating our adult children, as the land will someday pass on to them." 

  

  

David Pearson 

Hudson, Massachusetts 

  

"My father grew up on a farm near Genoa, Nebraska, and farmed there until the early 1930s. He later settled in Omaha where he married my mother and began investing in farmland in Nance and Platte Counties after the end of World War II. He initially managed the farms himself, but later turned them over to Farmers National and was very pleased with your service. When I inherited the farms, I continued our family's reliance on Farmers National to manage the farms. 

  

Farming has become far more involved since my dad's days of farming with horses. Today's crop yields couldn't be imagined then and required careful attention to seed, fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide application rates by the farm manager to maintain optimum production. In addition, he must also work with the local FSA offices to keep abreast of various government programs. We also depend on the Omaha office for finding the best rates for crop, irrigation equipment, and general liability insurance. Another Omaha office necessity for us is all the accounting of receipts and expenses for operating the farms. 

  

It was my parent's hope that we would continue operating the farms; and because we live in Massachusetts, we have come to depend on Farmers National and are confident that our family's investment in farming is in good care." 

  

  

Margaret Donnelly McLeod 

Los Angeles, California 

  

"The comprehensive reports that you send regularly are very helpful and informative, but meeting with you personally affords us the added opportunity to ask questions and clarify concerns.  

  

Historically, my Great Aunt and Uncle, Elisabeth and George Bishop, were the first of our family to own the farms. The farms eventually came to me via the Donnelly Trust. My four adult children, now the trustees, are the fourth generation of family owners! 

  

Farmers National Company has been managing the farms and advising us ever since I can remember. We have had a long and successful relationship. We have enjoyed visits to the farms. I find it interesting to note that as we are generational owners, the farmers seem to be generational tenants as well.  

  

As we do not live in Nebraska, it is imperative that we have knowledgeable managers and advisors on whom we can rely. Our long relationship with Farmers National Company has more than met those criteria." 

  

  

  

Sandra Vitolo 

Las Vegas, Nevada 

  

"The farm has been in my family for 117 years and can be traced back to the original purchase in 1852. In 1948, my grandmother Gaughenbaugh deeded the farm to my mother. At that time, my parents lived 500 miles away from the farm and found it difficult to properly manage it. In July, 1952, my parents signed their first contract with Farmers National Company.  

  

For 54 years we have trusted the Farmers National Company to manage the property and they have been superb in their efforts and diligence. Whether it be finding a tenant when needed, applying for government subsidies, getting the best price for the crops, or handling/fixing an open well; Farmers National has always gone the extra mile to do a great job. 

  

We have recently sold the farm and once again, Farmers National Company was indispensable in getting this accomplished. Not living in Iowa, when we made the decision to sell we had no idea how to go about it. I called our farm manager and he set the 'ball' in motion. From my perspective, from that point on, the process was smooth and seamless with an outstanding result! Thank you Farmers National for all that you've done for my family over the last 54 years." 

  

  

  

For more information on Farmers National Company, or to visit with a client located close to your farm, just give Randy Dickhut, Vice President - Client Relations, a call at 1-800-346-2650, or complete the additional information request.