ISU Extension and Outreach Clayton County hosted its annual Clover Kid Day Retreat for kindergarten through third‑grade youth on Saturday, March 28, at Johnson’s Reception Hall in Elkader. This year’s theme, “It’s a County Fair!”, brought county‑fair fun to 65 excited participants who enjoyed a full day of hands‑on learning, activities, and youth‑led leadership.

A standout feature of this year’s retreat was the strong involvement of Clayton County youth leaders. Half of the educational sessions were planned and led by 4‑H and FFA members, many of whom once attended the retreat themselves. Several middle‑school youth returned as volunteers, eager to give back to a program that inspired them when they were Clover Kids. Their leadership ensured younger participants were greeted by familiar, enthusiastic role models who guided activities and helped make the day run smoothly.

Throughout the retreat, youth rotated through sessions inspired by traditional county fair experiences. They learned about swine and dairy animals, tested their strength in a kiddie tractor pull, and created a variety of cotton candy and snow cone flavors to sample. Participants also designed and raced their own potatoes in the popular “Spud Races.”

The Clayton County Fair Queen shared information about county fairs and led a watercolor painting activity. Each child decorated a cap to take home and received a stuffed dog during the dog show session. A photo booth provided every participant with a keepsake picture from the day. The retreat also featured plenty of games and hands‑on activities to keep the excitement going. As a special treat, youth had the opportunity to choose a storybook to take home with them.

The event was planned and organized by Extension staff, dedicated adult volunteers, and the Clayton County 4‑H Council—along with the many youth volunteers whose leadership made a tremendous impact on this years’ experience.

Clover Kids is a fun, experiential 4‑H program designed for children in kindergarten through third grade. Participants engage in hands‑on activities that help them build a wide variety of life skills while exploring new interests.

For more information on 4-H youth program contact the Clayton Extension Office at 245-1451.

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Photo Captions:

4-H County Council member, Ashley Schilling helps youth pick out a story book to take home with them.
Clayton County fair Queen, Kara Knipper leads discussion on county fairs and helps with watercolor painting.
Spud Races were one of the highlights of Clover Kid Day on March 28.

Timely reminders for cover crop turnout

C alves are on the ground and various cover crop fields are turning green. As cattle are turned out to these annual forages, it’s good to review some timely reminders. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers the following from extension field agronomist Rebecca Vittetoe and extension program specialist Beth Reynolds.

General recommendations are to start grazing spring cover crops when the forage is 6-8” tall and actively growing, and to pull livestock off at about 4” of plant height if regrowth is to be grazed. Another common method to determine if forage is fit to graze without damaging regrowth potential is to delay grazing until the forage passes the “pluck test.” For the pluck test, take your thumb and forefinger and pinch the cover crop, as if you were a cow taking a bite and pull up. If you can pull the cover crop plant out by the roots, it’s too early to graze.
Avoid grazing in wet conditions exist to minimize compaction concerns and to reduce damage to root structures in these conditions. Have a back-up sacrifice area available and remove animals if necessary. Move waterers and mineral feeders to discourage loafing areas.
Strip grazing fields provides for better forage utilization if feasible. Rotational grazing will also increase utilization, but the short timeframe these forages are available to graze may reduce the practicality of a rotational grazing approach with multiple grazing bouts.
After grazing, allow a week of regrowth before terminating the cover crop. Or you can plant green and apply an herbicide after to terminate. Remember to check labels and consider herbicide tolerances in crops.
Supplementing other feeds may be helpful to achieve adequate intake for animals expected to graze the young, vegetative forage that is short, and rapidly passed through the digestive tract thanks to the high protein and moisture content.
Nitrate and sulfur toxicity are some animal health concerns that may be associated with grazing annual forages. Be aware of conditions that can increase the risk of toxicity to determine if any management practices need adjusted.

Finally, remember to provide a mineral package to meet the nutritional needs of the cattle grazing annual forages. Cattle should already be on a high Mg mineral for a couple weeks before turnout, especially if lactating.

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Farmers Need a Written Estate and Succession Plan; Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Can Help

The Estate and Succession Planning for the Farm Portal helps farms and families navigate every step of developing a plan.

Alaina Friesleben, Kristine Tidgren

None of us likes to think about death.

It’s upsetting to acknowledge that dad or grandpa just had his second heart scare. He has a pacemaker now. Mom or grandma, too, can’t complete livestock chores like she once could.

As older generations age, so do younger ones, and some aren’t sure if they want to return to the century-old family farm as generations before them have. Maybe some are prepared to pursue ownership — but need help getting started.

Legacy. Conflict. Discomfort. Stress. Procrastination.

These are just a few of the reasons fewer than 44% of Iowa farmers with under 1,000 acres have a written estate and succession plan.

An Iowa woman puts it plainly when reflecting on her family farm’s impending transition: “We just don’t want to bring it up.”

The issue

Whether planned or not, a major transfer of agricultural assets is approaching within the next one to two decades.

Today, two-thirds of Iowa farmland is owned by individuals aged 65 and older. Landowners aged 75 and older now own a record 37% of all acres.

According to Kristine Tidgren, director of the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation and Dolezal adjunct associate professor of agricultural education at Iowa State University, these demographics make farm transition planning increasingly urgent.

“I've learned that (retirement) is not always a goal for a lot of farmers, but nonetheless, for a lot of them, their health will cause them to have to slow down and not be able to do all the same things on the farm that they've been able to do in the past,” she said.

“Like it or not, things are going to have to transfer when we're looking at that demographic.”

For many families, the question is both practical and deeply personal: How can this farm continue?

The barriers

Despite the inevitability of farm transition, estate and succession planning is often delayed.

One reason is purely emotional. Planning for the future requires people to confront mortality and a transfer of control in an operation they have spent decades building.

“I think we all realize it's something that's not very fun to do because it does make us think about things that are hard, like, ‘I won't be able to do this forever. I won't be in charge of my farm forever,’” said Tidgren.

Family dynamics pose another significant barrier. Conversations about inheritance, ownership and management responsibilities can become uncomfortable.

Who gets what?

Who is entitled to what?

Who will stay and who won’t? Will anyone?

“Well, I —,” “You never —” …

Fear of family conflict often stalls open, honest and equitable conversations.

“People are afraid that fights will erupt. So they just keep it secret and let the kids deal with it,” said Tidgren. “But that just means that after you're gone, your kids likely won't be connected very well because there might be disputes that didn't need to happen.”

At its core, farm transition planning requires something many farmers find difficult: relinquishing control.

“It’s a very hard thing to do because it was in many ways that control that made the business successful,” Tidgren noted. “Part of the responsibility that comes along with that is the responsibility to learn, to turn it over and to relinquish.”

For farm families already managing demanding day-to-day operations, the process can feel overwhelming.

But what if it moved from reeling to rewarding? Confusing to clear? From existential to exciting?

That’s where education and preparation can make a difference.

“We’re here to help,” said Tidgren.

The solution

Tidgren and a team of 14 interdisciplinary specialists developed the Estate and Succession Planning for the Farm Portal, an interactive online resource designed to guide farm families through the planning process.

The portal includes hours of educational videos, case studies and practical resources covering the legal, financial and communication aspects of estate and succession planning. Users can explore the materials at their own pace and focus on the topics most relevant to their situation.

As an online resource, the team will continuously make updates to ensure it remains a reliable and evolving source of accurate information. It complements the Estate and Succession Planning for the Farm workbook, which has been used by many farm families planning for transition. The online platform expands on the workbook with an educational approach.

“We've never had a program where we brought everybody together and said, ‘let's just come together to try to make a very complete educational program,’” said Tidgren. “It’s much more in-depth than anything we found out there in terms of resources to educate farmers. We’re not selling anything. We are just objective extension professionals. You don’t pay us by the hour to find those things out.”

The portal features several types of resources:

Estate and Succession Planning Video Chapters. Approachable lectures from ISU attorneys guide users topic by topic. The chapters supplement the Estate and Succession Planning for the Farm workbook.
Frequently Asked Questions. In a conversational format, Tidgren and Kristiana Coutu, director of the Beginning Farmer Center at ISU, discuss the most common questions they receive about estate and succession planning for the farm.
Case Studies. Extension farm business specialists review various case studies. Topics include communication breakdowns, tragedies, contingency planning, blended families, labor management, and insurance options.
Communication Resources. Kiley Flemming, executive director of Iowa Mediation Service, guides learners through communication tools to address family communication conflicts and best practices.
Tools and Resources and Helpful Links. The portal provides a list of additional resources for users to learn beyond the portal.

The impact

Feedback suggests that the portal can help families save time and money as they prepare to work with tax professionals.

According to Tidgren, 56% of users said it would save between five and 15 hours of attorney work, and 25% said it would have an economic impact of more than $25,000.

“Those numbers are telling,” she said.

The portal is not intended to replace professional legal or tax advice; rather, it prepares farm families for those conversations so they can work more efficiently and develop more thoughtful plans.

Previously available for a $75 lifetime subscription, the portal is now offered at no cost for users.

“Because we have gotten so much support for this project, we are going to be able to offer it free of charge to our people,” Tidgren shared.

“We want to close that gap. We want people to have written succession plans. We want to be that partner in their planning process.”

ISU Extension and Outreach is here with you

For Tidgren, estate and succession planning impacts more than the farm; it maintains the vitality of rural communities across Iowa.

“To keep the rural communities vibrant, we need to have the farm communities strong. The only way to do that is to have good planning in place that allows them to carry on and continue.”

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is here as a trusted partner in the process.

To begin your Estate and Succession Planning journey, visit the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation website.

For more information, contact Tidgren at ktidgren@iastate.edu.

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Additional Stories Published Online

The following news releases have been published on the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach website.

4/1/2026 Cyclone Lambing School Offers Practical Training for Sheep Producers

The Cyclone Lambing School on April 17 provides practical instruction on ewe and lamb care before, during and immediately after lambing. This event will take place at the Iowa State University Sheep Teaching Farm in Ames.

3/31/2026 Prepare for Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 Certification with May Drone Workshop

Iowa State University’s Digital Ag Innovation team, in partnership with Terraplex Ag, will host a two-day Drone Workshop designed to prepare participants for the Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification exam. The workshop will take place May 27–28 at the Alliant Energy Agriculture Innovation Lab in Ames.

3/31/2026 Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Releases New Healthy Eating Active Living Guidelines

Organizations that serve or sell food can create healthier environments with a new, evidence-based resource from Iowa State University. The Healthy Eating Active Living Guidelines Toolkit can help organizations promote health and well-being for every person who enters their space.

3/30/2026 ISU Extension and Outreach Week Is April 6-11

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Week is April 6-11. With county extension offices, specialists and staff located in all 99 counties, ISU Extension and Outreach connects Iowans throughout the state with education and resources. This celebration thanks Iowans for their support.

3/30/2026 New Toolkit Highlights Iowa Libraries’ Role in Supporting Community Food Access

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has released “Nourishing Communities: Strategies for Food and Nutrition Access in Iowa Public Libraries.” The new publication from Farm, Food and Enterprise Development showcases how libraries are advancing food access and nutrition support in communities across Iowa.

3/30/2026 New Statewide Initiative Advances Value-Added Fruit and Vegetable Processing

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is leading a statewide initiative that brings innovative, mobile processing equipment and hands-on education to communities across Iowa. The newly developed Crop Cart is designed to support farmers’ and small businesses’ efforts to create new value-added products, offer opportunities for event and educational taste-testing and strengthen Iowa’s food system.