Do you know a high school senior who is planning to go to college and major in agriculture?  Our company is offering five scholarships again this year.  I talked about this program with Dewey Nelson from KRVN.  Water Street Solutions Scholarship Program - Lang AUDIO 

Not just high school seniors are eligible.  If you are already enrolled in an ag program at college with at least one year remaining, you can also apply.  We are accepting applications from students originally from Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska and Ohio this year.  Apply HERE.

For the text of the interview, click here: Scholarships for Agriculture Students

Many farmers don't plan for their death, because they never plan to die....let alone retire.  But retirement from the farm can allow some time for things you've always been wanting to do - or just a gradual ratcheting down of responsibilities.  Water Street Solutions Legacy Advisor Brian Hensley talks here with WIRL's DeAnna Thomas about this topic.  Retirement Hensley AUDIO

If you're thinking about how to transfer the farm to the next generation, you're probably already running a successful operation. But how can the next leader of the farm best draw on your years of experience? In his weekly Finance First post on www.farmfutures.com, Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions has some ideas about how to get all generations on the same page about the future of the farm. Read it HERE.

The land market is hot right now.  But you might not necessarily have to compete for new ground if your ultimate goal is to add revenue.  In his weekly Finance First post on www.farmfutures.com, Darren Frye, President and CEO of Water Street Solutions talks about some ways to grow your operation in four key areas - without more land.  Read it HERE.

Crop insurance may have saved your business this past crop year.  But what can we expect from the program for the upcoming crop year?  Deb Etheridge, Vice President of Insurance with Water Street Solutions, talked about that with Dewey Nelson from KRVN.   What Will Crop Insurance Look Like This Year Etheridge AUDIO

For the text of the interview, click here: What Will Crop Insurance Look Like This Year?

Measuring growth on your farm can go beyond the traditional concept of number of acres. Focusing only on number of acres can sometimes keep us from seeing the bigger picture of our growth. This month, Dean Heffta, Senior Director of Development at Water Street Solutions talks about a "balanced" way to measure your farm's growth in his Profits column in Corn and Soybean Digest. Read it HERE.

Water Street Solutions will award five college scholarships to ag students for the 2013-14 academic year. The award includes a $1,600 scholarship and tuition to attend the 2013 Agriculture Future of America Leaders Conference ($1,000 value). Students from Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota and Kentucky are eligible to apply for these scholarships, and must be enrolled in an ag-related four year degree program.

Click here for more information on how to apply. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2013.

Here's a bowl of 1,000 lemon drops.  Brian Hensley and Ben Metzger from Water Street Solutions used this to show a point when they spoke to young farmers at Tomorrow's Top Producer in Chicago today.

One thousand lemon drops equals one thousand first generation farmers.  During the business transfer from the first generation to the second, 70% will fail, leaving

300 lemon drops.  Ninety percent don't transfer from the second generation to the third, leaving

30 lemon drops.  And from the third generation to the fourth, we lose 96%, leaving

one lemon drop.  So one in a thousand farms makes it to the fourth generation.  The point is, planning helps.

The Congress made some changes to the Estate Tax laws at the beginning of this month - and that means the situation is different for estate planning.  Ben Metzger, Director at Water Street Solutions talks through the changes with Dewey Nelson from KRVN.   New Estate Tax Laws and How They Affect Farmers - Metzger AUDIO

For the text of the interview, click here: New Estate Tax Laws and How They Affect Farmers

If you're a college student, come visit Water Street Solutions at these upcoming college career fairs:

• Kansas State University Ag Career Fair - January 30
• Iowa State University Ag Career Fair - February 6
• Purdue University Ag Career Fair - February 20
• Student Marketing Competition, National NAMA - April 16-18, Kansas City, MO

For more information, contact Jim Emanuel at (402) 981-8845 or jemanuel@waterstreet.org.