Our Services

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Summit Ag Management: Comprehensive Farm Advisory and Management Services for Sustainable Growth and Long-Term Productivity

Summit Ag Management is Summit Agricultural Group’s full-service farm management and advisory unit. We work directly with farm owners to meet their goals by helping to determine, structure, and facilitate farm plans that increase their farm’s value and productivity on a long-term basis. We achieve this when working with our client’s team and Summit’s network of trusted professionals including attorneys, accountants, contractors & vendors, and farm operators.

Summit Ag Management’s mission is to improve farms while imparting the true ag expertise needed to help them appreciate long into the future. Our experienced management team specializes in a wide range of services, applied at the owner’s discretion, as part of one of several management options including cash rent, flexible cash rent, crop share or other custom agreements. We value communication as an essential ingredient for any successful relationship and encourage landowners to be actively involved in all planning and decision-making processes. To guarantee that each landowner receives maximum value in partnering with us, Summit’s farm management services can be customized to meet each client’s needs, or utilize a holistic approach to managing the entire farming operation.

overview of farm management services

CONSISTENT

COMMUNICATION

  • Ensure clear communication to meet clients’ needs.
  • Foster strong relationships between landowner and farm operator.
  • Recommend capital projects to enhance productivity, asset value, and income.
  • Provide frequent updates
  • A team approach to keep everyone well informed.

LEASE

DETERMINATION

  • Annual review of leasing options.
  • Negotiate and secure leases.
  • Update with market trends.
  • Expanded lease options
    • Cash Rent
    • Flex Rent
    • Crop Share
    • Custom

FARM

ACCOUNTING

  • Prepare Annual Budget and Statement of Cash Flows.
  • Manage income receipt and expense payments for the farm business.
  • Issue Quarterly Financial Reports.
  • Prepare year-end financial information for the tax preparer.
  • Assess optimal liability and property insurance levels.

DETAILED

RECORD KEEPING

  • Report crop yields/rotation, acres, rental history, and soil tests.

  • Monitor and manage soil fertility
  • Handle USDA farm programs and required paperwork.
  • Farm data analytics management and analysis.
ENVIRONMENTAL

STEWARDSHIP

  • Preserve the family farm/retain ownership from generation to generation.
  • Sustainable farming practices.
  • Improve soil health and increase organic matter.
  • Preserving natural habitat.

Justin Bahr

Accredited Farm Manager, Licensed Real Estate Broker

Justin joined the Summit team in 2022. His primary responsibility is professional farm management. Justin has professionally managed farms since 2016 and holds an Accredited Farm Manager (AFM) designation from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA). Prior to joining Summit, Justin worked at Hertz Farm Management managing the Mankato, Minnesota office. Justin started managing farms out of the Cedar Falls, Iowa Hertz location, before his transition to Mankato. His management experience spans across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Justin graduated from Iowa State University in May of 2016 with a B.S. in Agricultural Business and International Agriculture and a minor in Entrepreneurial Studies. Justin grew up in North Central Iowa near Buckeye.

Justin is a Licensed Real Estate Broker in IA, MN, NE and SD.