Overall, professional farm managers report a mixed business bag in 2000:
• More farms and ranches to manage;
• More clients;
• More professional farm managers;
• Less total acres;
• Fewer operators.

Reported acreage dropped more than half a million acres – from14.6 million to a little more than 14 million acres. Those acres were spread out over more territory: the number of farms and ranches managed nudged upward 2.9 percent, to 23,833.

Farm management companies added more clients, too, during the recent year. Respondents reported a 1.4- percent rise, or 345 new clients.

Crop Decisions editors sent 1,054 surveys to collect the data for this annual report. Responses came from 112 companies, a rate of 11 percent. Last year’s survey garnered 138 responses from a larger initial mailing.

Among the findings for Y2K:
• A 2.9 percent drop in number of operators, reflecting the drop in acreage;
• A 7 percent jump in number of farm managers, up to 509;
• Roughly the same percentage (43 percent) of Accredited Farm Managers (AFM) in relation to overall managers.

Lease types remained virtually unchanged from the previous year. Crop share is still the most prevalent, with about 48 percent of respondents naming that as their primary lease type. Cash rent remains the second choice at 34 percent, down a couple of percentage points from 1999. Other lease types stayed virtually the same, with direct operation dropping a percentage point to 5.7 percent.

Most of the familiar names stayed atop the breakouts, with a few exceptions. Am South Bank of Birmingham, Alabama, joined the list of companies sporting the most farm managers. Southwest Agribusiness Services of Phoenix, Arizona, joined the Top 10 by Total Acres Managed, even though its 271,000 acres would not have made the cut in 1999.

Commerce Bank Agricultural Services of Bloomington, Illinois, added 10 properties to join the Top 10 by Number of Farms or Ranches Managed; last year’s No. 10, United Farm & Ranch Management, dropped 8 properties to finish out of the running in Y2K.

Finally, Bank One Farm & Ranch Management of Fort Worth, Texas, shifted enough acreage to jump into the Top 10 by Crop Acres Managed list at No. 5. Soy Capital Ag Services & Trust of Decatur, Illinois, and Hertz Farm Management of Nevada, Iowa, topped a new breakout: highest percentage of full-time staff with the AFM designation; 86 percent (12 of 14) of Soy Capital’s professional management staff carries that designation, while 82 percent (32 of 39) of the Hertz staff can claim that distinction. CD

To view the Top 75 Professional Farm Management Firm reference guide click here. (pdf format)

FARM MANAGEMENT 2000 PROFILE
Acres	14,003,570
Farms/Ranches	23,833
Clients	25,702
Operators	21,169
Farm Managers	509

TYPES OF LEASES
	(% of total leases)
Crop Share	48.3%
Cash Rent	34.4%
Bushel Rent	.6%
Custom	4.7%
Direct Operation	5.7%
Other	2.6%

MOST FARM MANAGERS
Farmers National Company (Omaha, NE)	68
Hertz Farm Management (Nevada, IA)	39
Wells Fargo Bank, Private Client Services (Grand Island, NE)	28
Bank of America, Private Bank (San Antonio, TX)	26
Farmland Management Company (Windom, MN)	23
Bank One Farm and Ranch Management (Fort Worth, TX)	21
Halderman Farm Management (Wabash, IN)	21
Capital Agricultural Property Services (Lisle, IL)	16
U.S. Bank, N.A. (Fargo, ND)	15
Am South Bank (Birmingham, AL)	15

MOST FARM MANAGERS WITH AFM DESIGNATION
Farmers National Company (Omaha, NE)	50
Hertz Farm Management (Nevada, IA)	32
Soy Capital Ag Services & Trust Co. (Decatur, IL)	12
Capital Agricultural Property Services (Lisle, IL)	10
Wells Fargo Bank, Private Client Services (Grand Island, NE)	9

HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF FULL-TIME STAFF WITH AFM DESIGNATION (Minimum staff of 10)
Soy Capital Ag Services & Trust	(12/14) 86%
Hertz Farm Management	(32/39) 82%
Farmers National Company	(50/68) 74%
Capital Agricultural Property Services	(10/16) 63%

NINE TO WATCH
	Company Total Managed Acres
Thien Farm Management (Council Bluffs, IA)	14,635
Moore & Warner Farm Management (Clinton, IL)	14,305
French Farm Management (Lincoln, NE)	14,200
The John Warner Bank, Clinton, IL	13,500
Francis Hickman (Chestertown, MD)	12,700
Bank of Pontiac (Pontiac, IL)	12,500
Midstates Farm Management (Harlan, IA)	12,500
Ag Resource Management (Macomb, IL)	12,240
Ag Knowledge LTD (Spirit Lake, IA)	10,000