Navigating New Terrain

Taking on family land is an opportunity and an obligation. Ready or not, assuming ownership of a property means making decisions with multigenerational impact: 

What to plant? How to harvest? Prepare to sell? Partner to protect?

Navigating relationships while defining priorities adds to the complexity. When relatives, land managers, renters, or neighbors weigh in, even more options unfold.

What would Mom and Dad have wanted? How much is our land worth? Who can I trust to carry out our vision? 

For Marcia Buresh, arriving at answers was a multi-year journey. After she and her husband David acquired 280 acres of mixed habitat surrounding his parents’ farm and homestead, they began discussing a long-term plan. Although David enjoyed being involved in farm operations (the couple lived a few miles down the road), Marcia knew that she wouldn’t be able to manage the property on her own.

Marcia and David feared a future buyer would turn the un-terraced hillside and timber into housing developments as suburban Pottawattamie County expanded. Attending a session hosted by Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation at nearby Hitchcock Nature Center highlighted potential pathways for the couple to consider. Together, they met with INHF staff to discuss protection options. After David died, Marcia had to decide which tool was right for her. 

“What I know about farming, I picked up from osmosis,” Marcia said. “I did not grow up on a farm. I didn't work on the farm. Plus, David always said he thought that parts of the place would be better preserved in prairie or grasses than crop ground. I love the outdoors, but all I can do is mow. I don't see myself being able to plant a prairie at this point in my life.”

Widowed and in her mid-70s, Marcia didn't want to leave her land transfer up to an executor. She clarified her vision for the property and reached out to experts for help.

According to a 2023 Iowa State University Extension report on Iowa farmland ownership and tenure, Marcia fits the profile of many Iowa landowners: 

Two-thirds of Iowa farmland is owned by people 65 years or above. 

Thirty-seven percent of farmland is owned by people aged 75 and above. 

Forty-six percent of farmland is owned by women. 

Thirteen percent is owned by female landowners older than 80.

 

Gaining confidence through casual conversations 

When women step into landownership, many must work against stereotypes and social dynamics to effectively articulate their intentions. They want to have a say in how their land is managed — but aren’t always sure what steps to take. Strategic visioning can help new landowners recognize their power and their land’s potential.

"We run into women who hardly recognize themselves as landowners because they feel like everybody else gets to make all the decisions,” said Jean Eells, a consultant whose collaborations with the Women, Food and Agriculture Network, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other organizations connect her with women all over the country who recently inherited land. 

"Putting all women landowners in a box of ‘They don't know what they're doing’, or ‘They only want the rent check’ is just not right,” she said. 

A woman who inherits a renter along with her farm might feel hesitant to suggest switching crops or adopting additional conservation practices. The landowner doesn’t want to risk losing a tenant, especially if she relies on their machinery and equipment. Some women may fear that contentious business conversations could disrupt multigenerational connections in rural communities. 

“We have to approach things carefully, because relationships are important," Jean said. 

Jean recommends landowners in this position join informal conversation circles and participate in storytelling and role-playing exercises. If women lead with curiosity and confidence, Jean said she has seen formerly adversarial relationships with renters evolve.

 

Maintaining renter relationships through transitions

When Janis Leise retired to Wilmington, North Carolina, she held onto the cropland her grandfather had gifted her in the 1970s. More than a valuable source of income, the Grundy County parcel represented a legacy. 

"Those of us who grew up on farms, we feel a responsibility,” Janis said. “We're tied to the land... I tell people I will always be an Iowan.” 

Memories of watching her father mentor young, aspiring farmers inspired Janis to prioritize a partnership that would continue to serve the agricultural community. A father and son continue farming through a cash rental agreement. Even though the arrangement is long-distance, Janis enjoys touring the property to keep up on land management practices. 

“I feel like I lucked out with that family,” Janis said. “I was impressed that they are trying to enhance the natural resources that are there, and [my renter] Cliff is passing those concepts on to his son." 

When she worked at Principal Financial Group, Janis started volunteering at INHF seed harvests. Getting involved deepened her commitment to conservation and piqued her interest in contributing land to the cause. Janis never married and had no children, and her brother and nephew were already managing hundreds of acres of their own. 

“I began to think about what will happen to that piece of ground after I die,” Janis said. “What I see in my part of the state is that property owners grow older and pass away, and if they don't have anybody in the family who wants to farm, the land is auctioned off."

She sought legal and financial advice as she started estate planning and realized the Reserved Life Estate protection tool could accomplish multiple goals. 

Her land could benefit a conservation organization 

Her land will be protected after her lifetime 

She can continue to make decisions and receive income from the farm.

“Frankly, I looked at the tax advantages,” Janis said. “The residual tax benefit on my income taxes is sizable. Because I set up a charitable gift and based on the value of the land, a deduction  will appear on my tax return for years, as opposed to just owning it until I die. An auction doesn't help me.”

Gifting working farmland to INHF demonstrates Janis’ trust in the organization to make strategic decisions. This approach keeps a family farm in operation. Eventually, income from the farm will support INHF’s mission by funding statewide conservation work. In the meantime, Janis continues to benefit. This arrangement helps her retire with confidence. 

 

Involving extended family members in land transitions

As land passes between generations, groups of siblings and extended family members must make choices collectively. Shared ownership conversations can be contentious. When multiple properties are involved, administration can be especially burdensome. 

Holding regular meetings and working with a farm management company helps INHF board member Carole Reichardt stay focused on strategy. Her background in environmental studies, business management and political science positioned her to assume management of multiple farm properties she shares with two sisters and their families.

“I knew we all shared the same vision, but how can we take [our land management] to the next level from a conservation and natural resource perspective, and then also keep the farms economically viable?” Carole said.  

Involving a management company wasn’t only about outsourcing the bookwork. Carole felt that learnings from their properties could serve other farmers, too, strengthening the industry and ecosystem. Carole also engaged agronomy consultants to implement regenerative and organic practices. Leaning into their credentials helped Carole when tenants resisted trying something new. 

“Don’t feel like you have to know it all, because you don’t and you won’t,” Carole said. “You need to honor your values and then look for assistance to help keep your farm or move your farm in a new direction."

Centering shared values also provided an important framework for sisters Christi and Shelley Shaw. Twenty years ago, the late Vernon Shaw and his daughters (including Sherry Whitford, who died in 2018) donated two expansive conservation easements in Clayton and Fayette counties.

“Our dad instilled in us the importance of adding more to what you were given to pass it to the next generation,” said Christi Shaw. “He also taught us the importance of conservation programs to keep the land the way it's meant to be, as God intended it.”

The land near Elkader features a coldwater creek that supports native trout. Though the family retains private ownership and use, the easements permanently protect the land from mining, developing, clear-cutting, over-grazing and other activities that could diminish the natural resources and scenic beauty. 

After Sherry’s death, her share of the farm business passed into a trust. Along with their niece, Emily Ann Saito, Christi and Shelley own nine different Iowa properties. Christi and Shelley are successful pharmaceutical executives, and Shelley currently lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. The family recently transferred their homestead to their second-generation renter and purchased a property to build a vacation rental in Elkader, where they have roots.

“The reason Shelley and I are able to be so strong and courageous in our careers is because we know we always have Iowa,” Christi said. “One of the biggest things we're trying to instill [with the next generation] is that you invest in the land. You're doing good for nature, and you get a cash flow over time. Once you sell it, that ends.” 

 

Putting land in trusted hands

Making decisions about the future of inherited land often takes time. As Marcia Buresh narrowed her options, new construction homes continued creeping closer to her Pottawattamie County property line. Finally, the moment, mechanism and nonprofit partner were all aligned: Marcia finalized a permanent conservation easement and donation to INHF.

Her action will prevent any habitat destruction or subdivision of the land her husband’s family called home. It will also allow for agricultural practices in existing fields, ecological restoration, and the preservation of remnant prairie. 

As she reflected on the process a few weeks later, Marcia’s voice filled with emotion.

“I was relieved that it was done," she said. “And glad that it was going to be permanently protected."