Fleming Family Farms llc provides quality beef with humane practices
estate planning
alSO iNSiDe: local farmland values
4
2 Farmland values
3 Agriculture by the numbers
4 Humane beef farming
8 Estate planning
Soil productivity information is sourced from the Web Soil Survey developed by the National Cooperative Soil Survey and operated by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Crop history information is sourced from the NASS Cropland Data Layer. Ownership information is sourced from the Bartholomew County assessor.
Bartholomew County
agricultural parcels: 18,177
average value: $7,418 per acre
average National commodity crop
Productivity index: 68
average acres per parcel: 12
Jennings county
average value: $5,658 per acre
average National commodity crop
Productivity index: 62
Brown county
average value: $6,156 per acre
average National commodity crop
Productivity index: 35
Shelby county
average value: $7,192 per acre
average National commodity crop
Productivity index: 68
Johnson county
average value: $8,510 per acre
average National commodity crop
Productivity index: 65
Jackson county
average value: $6,233 per acre
average National commodity crop
Productivity index: 59
Decatur county
average value: $6,826 per acre
average National commodity crop
Productivity index: 67
Morgan county
average value: $7,239 per acre
average National commodity crop
Productivity index: 61
rush county
average value: $7,067 per acre
average National commodity crop
Productivity index: 72
Monroe county
average value: $6,719 per acre
average National commodity crop
Productivity index: 48
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SOURCE: AcreValue, which provides reports on the value of agricultural land in Bartholomew County. The GIS map provides parcel boundaries, acreage, and ownership information sourced from the Bartholomew County assessor. AcreValue’s valuation model utilizes over 20 field-level and macroeconomic variables to estimate the price of an individual plot of land.
$35.1 billion
Agriculture contributions to Indiana’s economy (estimated)
$18.3 billion
The value of agricultural commodities sold in 2022
8th Indiana ranks 8th largest farming state in the nation
$2.3 million
Indiana’s agricultural exports
20 million
Number of turkeys in Indiana
4.5 million
Number of hogs in Indiana
190,000
Number of dairy cows in Indiana
14.6 million
Acres of farmland cultivated by Indiana’s farming operations
94,282
Number of farmers in Indiana
56
The average age of an Indiana farmer
53,300
Number of farming operations in Indiana
274
Average size of an Indiana farm (in acres)
85 percent
Indiana’s farms that are family owned
1.6 million
Acres of living or overwintering covers
Indiana ranks 1st in egg-type chicks hatched.
Indiana ranks 2nd in tomatoes for processing and ice cream production.
Indiana ranks 4th in soybeans, and peppermint.
Indiana ranks 5th in corn (for grain), spearmint, cantaloupe (fresh market), hogs, chickens and total eggs produced.
Source: USDA NASS Indiana Agricultural Statistics 2022-2023
Source: USDA NASS Indiana Agricultural Statistics 2022-2023; USDA Agriculture Census 2022; USDA 2023 State Agriculture Overview; 2023 Conservation Transect Survey
Stewardship best describes the most important value that drives Fleming Family Farms LLC. Dan and Lynne Fleming feel a special charge combining humane practices with their pursuit of exceptional product quality. Dan had stewardship inculcated in him early on in his life.
“My dad was a wildlife biologist,” he said. “In the 1960s, he was director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife for the state. He was also an avid fisherman and hunter and cared about wildlife.”
Education is, along with beef farming, a family affair. Lynne, originally from Louisville, Ky., was recruited by Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation to teach. She and Dan were introduced by a mutual friend at the Columbus Bar.
Dan grew up on the land on Lowell Road next to the Driftwood River, and he and Lynne have raised their three boys there, as well.
“It was the perfect place to grow up,” he said. “Our family was always involved with 4-H livestock projects.”
He earned an animal science degree from Purdue and then operated a feedlot for about nine years after graduating. At one point, he oversaw 500 head of cattle. He also became involved with the Indiana Beef Cattle Association and the livestock show it presents every December.
Over the years, Dan had become an enthusiast of the working chute, which confines cattle so vaccines and ear tags can be easily given and placed on the animals, so he created a new contest at the livestock show where contestants were scored on the proper placement of the tags, administering shots and assisting with applying parasite protection.
“This was when the animal rights movement was in full swing,” he said.
“We got bad publicity, and the contest was only held once.”
On top of running the farm, Dan also held two other jobs, each coinciding over about a twenty-year period. He taught science at Hope Elementary School, and he announced Ag market news and weather on Reising Radio Partners Inc. stations twice a day.
After the feedlot stint, Dan began buying show heifers from neighbors and using them as brood cows.
“We started putting out the word that we had sides of beef available,” he said.
But social trends were afoot, particularly with fewer people owning freezers, so the Flemings changed their business model accordingly and started selling cuts of beef. They consulted with SCORE about how to make the transition.
“I was upstairs when the phone call for the first order came in,” Dan recalled. “Lynne came running up to tell me. She was so excited.”
They set up a booth at the Farmers
Market, which they still have, in its earliest days.
“Our beef has to be better than that at the grocery store,” said Dan. “You can, in fact, get a great steak or roast at a supermarket, but you can’t depend on them for long-term consistency. The cows are raised in various places and fed various things.”
The Flemings feed their cows grain, starting the calves on roughage, such as hay, and then moving to broken pieces of corn culled from whole kernels, as well as a soybean meal mixed with a little hay.
They also flash-freeze their meat, reducing the freezing time by two-thirds. Regular freezing allows the formation of ice crystals which can puncture the meat cells and dry out the meat.
“We had a couple of chef friends over for dinner and gave them a blind test,” said Lynne. “We had them try regularly frozen sirloin, and also flash frozen. They both said the flash-frozen meat had better mouth feel.”
For the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair, Dan instituted an event similar to the working chute contest he’d created earlier. However, this time, two veterinarians are onsite to officiate and oversee the event while 4-H kids are paired with 500-pound feeder calves they’ve never seen before and are scored on properly giving shots and parasite protection and applying ear tags. Judges look for minimal stress to the animals. These activities stem from Dan’s desire to dispel any misunderstandings about his industry.
“We wanted to showcase how things are really done on beef farms,” Dan said.
Along with prizes, some of the event’s sponsors have begun awarding scholarships. There’s a strong sense of mission in the Flemings’ activities.
“I feel that these animals have a very special place in the overall scheme of nature,” said Dan. “We take care of them, and they provide us food.”
fFarmers and their families are the backbone of America. They work hard, sacrifice, feed their fellow citizens and understand that the value of their land is worth far more than just money. Even though it is always important for everyone to have an estate plan in their will, for farmers, the importance of having an estate plan is even greater. Farm families who own land are often concerned with ensuring their farm continues to operate into the next generation, as they do not want the farm sold and developed into a subdivision or commercial space.
Most farmers want to be fair with what
By VoElz, REEd, & MouNT, llCthey leave their children after they die, but they also want to support the child or children who plan to continue the family business. It is common for farmers to have one child or children involved in the family-farm business while other children are not. If a farmer has no estate plan, or a simple estate plan that leaves the farm directly to all of his or her children in equal shares, then one or more of the nonfarming children can force the property to be sold to get his or her equity from it. This can leave the farming child in a position where he or she has to come up with enough money to buy out the nonfarm-
ing siblings. If the value of the farm is so great that the farming child cannot come up with enough money to buy out the nonfarming siblings, then the farm is sold to someone else.
At the same time, farmers usually do not want to leave the farm solely to the child who is involved in farming because he or she doesn’t want to eliminate the other children from receiving an inheritance. Many farmers have wealth in land and equipment but not in cash or investments. Even if they have cash or investments, they may deplete throughout their lifetime, especially if the need for long-term
care occurs later in life. With proper planning, a farm family can protect the farm for the future farmers in the family and also leave an inheritance to nonfarming children. Family farms that succeed in the second generation usually do so because the proper estate planning was put in place by the original owner or owners.
Certain types of trusts, and/or limited liability companies (LLCs), can help farming families ensure that their farms:
n Will not be sold upon their deaths.
n Will continue as an income stream for the benefit of all of their children.
n Will allow children who are involved in the business to continue to be involved.
n Will control who inherits the business as children pass away.
Trusts and/or LLCs may also help to protect the farm from liability and from the life risks such as divorce, bankruptcy or creditor problems, of children who will eventually inherit. For example, if three children inherit a farm in trust from their parents, the trust can ensure that if one of those children dies, then his or her descendants will become trust beneficiaries in the deceased child’s place instead of a nonblood relative of the deceased child such as a surviving spouse.
According to a publication by Purdue University, only about 30% of family businesses succeed to the second generation. By the third generation, the statistics get worse. Planning is the key to success and can make all the difference in whether or not your farm survives for future generations. If you own a family farm, then you should discuss the future goals with an es-
tate planning attorney who can help you develop a plan that will assist your family farm in carrying on for future generations. The estate planning attorney helps you build a team of advisors that includes accountants, insurance agents and financial advisors who work together to make sure the plan for your farm succeeds.
Voelz, Reed & Mount, LLC is one of
the largest dedicated estate planning and elder law firms in southern Indiana. They can provide you and your family with the plan that you need to keep your family business and legacy in place. If you would like to schedule a consultation with one of their attorneys to determine what options are best for you, call their office at 812-372-1303.
Preventative screenings can help detect diseases at an early stage when they are easier to treat, even before you have symptoms.
CT scans of the chest can detect lung cancer earlier when it is easier to treat.
According to the American Cancer Society, those who could benefit from a screening are:
Do you meet the criteria?
Call 812-579-4400 crh.org/lung
• Ages 50 through 80 years old
• Have a history of heavy smoking, and are either a current smoker or have quit within the past 15 years.
• Heavy smoking means smoking history of 1 pack a day for 20 years or 2 packs a day for 10 years.
A fee of $25 will be collected at the time of the test and will not be submitted to insurance.
CT scans of the heart detect and measure the amount of calcium in the coronary arteries.
To be eligible for a heart scan, you must be between 40 and 79 years of age with one of the following risk factors:
Do you meet the criteria?
Call 812-579-4488 crh.org/heart
• Family history of heart disease, stroke, and/or vascular disease
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
A fee of $49 will be collected at the time of the test and will not be submitted to insurance.