“This conference is designed for anyone and everyone involved with ag consulting,” says Russell Morgan, CAC, chairman of the 2013 ASAC annual conference, which is scheduled for October 20–22 in Alexandria, VA.

Complete program agenda, speaker roster and registration information will be posted on June 15.

Topics for the conference include: The changing role of ag consulting; communicating with clients; walking the tightrope between consulting and selling; where will the next generation of consultants come from; possible effects of immigration legislation on consulting; working with USDA and other federal agencies; and, Where’s the Money? Is it a love or is it a job?

“We’re calling it a ‘Muddy Boots’ conference and the programming we have developed will appeal to anyone actively involved with ag consulting, no matter their professional discipline,” Morgan explains. “We realize there are trade organizations that serve the various sectors of the industry and they have fine programs. Those tend to be narrowly focused and very specific to that particular part of agriculture. ASAC is different because our membership crosses over multiple professional disciplines. Because of that our conference has to be very broad in scope.

“The advantage professionals will have at the ASAC conference is the diversity of subjects covering the overall scope of consulting, particularly looking to the future. The opportunity to network with peers from other areas of the industry will be enormous as well,” he adds. “We have over 40 professional disciplines represented in our membership; that leads to a lot of different conversations with the potential for cross-discipline collaboration.”

You can see the full issue here.

You can see the full issue here.

You can see the full issue here.

You can see the full issue here.

October 20 – 22, 2013 Alexandria, VA
The Standard of Integrity since 1963

Download the flyer.

Fall 2012 ASAC Newsletter.pdf

“Federal estate tax can be a large factor in whether a farm is passed on to the next generation” said James Putnam, executive vice president, Farm Credit East. “If estate taxes are too high, the next generation will have no choice but to sell real estate assets to pay the tax.” Under existing law, the estate tax exemption will decline to $1 million and the top rate will jump to 55% on January 1, 2013.

The federal estate tax is dependent upon the size of an estate, which may not reflect an ability to pay. Farmers often have significant real estate holdings and reinvest most of their earnings in their farm. This imbalance provides them with a relatively weak cash position to pay estate taxes upon their death. Often the only way to pay the estate taxes is to sell the farm, preventing a transfer of the family farm to the next generation.

On January 1, 2013 the estate tax exemption level drops from the current level of $5.12 million to the 2001 exemption level of $1 million. In addition, the tax rate will increase to 55% for the amount of the estate over the exemption level. This scenario would force many farm families to sell their farm assets to meet the estate tax liability.

“It is important for Congress to revise the current laws pertaining to estate taxes to ensure that farms are not forced to sell or break-up the farm because of estate taxes,” said Putnam.

For a full copy of the Farm Credit East Knowledge Exchange report, The Federal Estate Tax: Effect on the Farming Community, please visit FarmCreditEast.com. Farm Credit East is the largest lender to agriculture in the Northeast and provides a range of financial services, including consulting focused on estate planning.

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Farm Credit East extends more than $4.35 billion in loans and has 19 local offices in its six-state service area. In addition to loans and leases, the organization also offers a full range of agriculturally specific financial services for businesses related to farming, horticulture, forestry and commercial fishing. Farm Credit East is governed by a 15-person board of directors.
For more information, go to FarmCreditEast.com

Gilligan holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business management from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She received her Certified Agricultural Consultant designation in 2007. She is currently the Director of Collateral Valuation & Field Services for Rabobank, N.A. and is responsible for all of the bank’s appraisal functions as well as collateral verification services for both agricultural and commercial clients.

Gilligan previously served as president of the organization in 2009.

Other newly elected officers for ASAC are: President-Elect Russell Morgan, CAC, Covenant Accounting and Tax Services, PLLC, Paducah, KY; Vice President Norman Brown, FBS Systems, Inc., Aledo, IL; Chief Financial Officer Erin Pirro, Farm Credit East, Enfield, CT, and; Immediate Past Gary Wagner, CAC, Great Earth Agri-Business, Inc., Madison, WI.

Elected to the Board of Directors was Joseph Kluender, CAC, Farm Family Dynamics, LLC, North Mankato, MN; and, Angie Vandergriff, Weaver Boos Consultants, LLC, Ft. Worth, TX. Continuing in terms on the Board are: Robert Mehrle, Ph.D., CAC, Agricultural Information Management, Lambert, MS, and; Robert E. Lee, CAC, Lee Agribusiness Connections, Inc., Harrison, ME.

(Photo: Paige Gilligan, CAC, left of center, was elected president of the American Society of Agricultural Consultants at the organization’s annual meeting held recently in Denver. Flanking her are, from left: Russell Morgan, CAC, Vice President; Robert Mehrle, Ph.D., CAC, Southern Region Director; Robert E. Lee, Ph.D., CAC, Eastern Region Director; Erin Pirro, Chief Financial Officer; Norman Brown, Vice President; Gary Wagner, CAC, Immediate Past President; and, Joseph Kluender, CAC, Northern Region Director. Not included in the photo is Angie Vandergriff, Western Region Director.)