June 2nd, 2019
“It is easier to talk to your kids about sex than talk about land transition.”
~ An anonymous farmer
After a long day of driving and a bit of relaxation we traveled to Garden City, Iowa to see a production of Map of My Kingdom. Professor Mary Swander, Iowa’s Poet Laureate from 2009-2019, wrote the play.
The play was commissioned by Practical Farmers of Iowa, which wanted the play to focus on the issue of land transition in farming, also known as succession planning. People over 65 years old own much of the farmland in Iowa. The purpose of the play is to get the conversation started about issues like who’s going to get the farm, how the farm can stay intact and if inheritance plans will lead to family peace or strife. Swander emphasizes discussing these issues openly. The topic is portrayed through different farmers’ perspectives on how they tackled the problem. For instance, one daughter was so fearful of her family, including her husband, that she had all the guns removed from the house. Another story covered how non-farming members want to sell their portion while the farming members want to keep the land intact. You are left with a better sense of how complicated land transition can really be for family relationships. It was interesting that Practical Farmers of Iowa commissioned this play especially since this issue is so different from the discussions we had with them about topics like pesticide drift and crop protection. Another personal takeaway for me from the play was that before this trip I never really perceived farming to be a family business. The play provided me with a different perspective of farming and the struggles farmland owners face with transferring land from one generation to the next.
After the performance there was a short intermission, followed by a talk back with Professor Swander and a panel discussion with the Reverend. Dr. Matthew Rueger, lawyer Ron Pepples, and Chris Brinkmeyer, a banker at Central State Bank.