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What do you have to leave your children when you pass away? Host Jen Zahradnik, attorney, livestock producer, and farm kid, hears this question all the time, and the answer surprises people: nothing. It doesn't have to be equal, either. In this episode, Jen talks through what it means to build an estate plan around your own wishes, and why fair is not always equal.

In this episode:

- Why you don't have to leave your children anything, and why you don't have to treat them equally

- When talking with your family matters most: passing on a farm or business you want to continue

- Why your lawyer can't tell your kids what's in your will, even when they call and ask

- Why you can change your mind for as long as you're able to make the decision, and why you shouldn't wait

- The questions families ask about timing, acres, and value

- How the way something is titled affects where it goes: joint tenancy, tenants in common, and payable on death or transfer on death

- How a valuation can help you treat children similarly, or explain a difference in your documents and head off a fight later

Three things to remember:

1. You don't have to leave your children anything, and it doesn't have to be equal.

2. Know what you have and how it's titled.

3. Make your decisions now, while you still can.

The Back 40 Lawyer is for general information and education only. It is not legal advice, and listening to it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every situation is different, and the law changes. Before you act on anything you hear here, please talk with a licensed attorney about your specific circumstances.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

A lot of Iowa farm ground is rented, and plenty of those deals run on a handshake. In this episode, Jen Zahradnik of Legal Solutions of Iowa explains why a written lease protects both landlord and tenant, the two main ways folks rent ground, and the one date that catches people every year: September 1.

Key Takeaways

• Get it in writing. A written lease protects the tenant and the landlord, and keeps everyone on the same page years down the road.
• Know your options. Cash rent is a set dollar amount per acre. With crop share, the landlord takes an agreed share of the crop. Neither is automatically right.
• Circle September 1. To end a farm lease, you generally have to give proper notice by September 1. Miss it, and the lease renews for another full crop year on the same terms.
• Do the notice right. A notice that isn't given properly is the same as no notice at all, so talk with a lawyer.

Need help with a farm lease? Call Legal Solutions of Iowa at 319-444-3285 or visit www.legalsolutionsofiowa.com.

Coming next: A guest walks us through how a farm sale really works, start to finish. Subscribe so you don't miss it, and share this episode with someone who rents ground.

The Back Forty is for general information and education only. It is not legal advice, and listening to it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every situation is different, and the law changes. Talk with a licensed attorney about your specific circumstances.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In this episode, Jen Zahradnik of Legal Solutions of Iowa explains why the answer is "it depends," and walks through a legal idea called boundary by acquiescence.

What you'll learn:

• Why a fence and the legal line in your deed are two different things
• What "acquiescence" really means (hint: everybody went along with it)
• How the same rule can cut both ways, depending on which side of the fence you're standing on
• Why a survey up front costs far less than a lawsuit later

Three takeaways:

1. Don't assume the fence is the line, and don't assume it isn't.
2. Before you build, buy, or spend real money on ground, get a survey.
3. If a line question is bubbling up with a neighbor, deal with it early and calmly.

• Facts: Every detail comes from the script, and the contact info is what you confirmed.
• Safeguards: The notes do not state the number of years or the legal test, do not mention adverse possession or any statute or case, and do not describe any real client matter.
• Plain text: No markdown symbols, so it should paste cleanly.
• Additions: I added one short line, "Boundary questions turn on the details...," to reinforce the see-a-lawyer message. It's easy to cut if you'd rather not have it.
• Disclaimer wording: The disclaimer is condensed to one sentence plus a short follow-up. It uses the spoken name "The Back Forty," matching your naming convention.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Episode 4: When the Family Can't Agree: Partition and Dividing Land

Three siblings inherit the home place and can't agree on what to do with it. When talks break down, a court can step in. It's called partition, and it's one of the saddest things attorney Jen Zahradnik sees, because it can almost always be avoided.

In this episode: what partition is, the two ways a court can resolve it (dividing the land or ordering a sale and splitting the money), and why the costs can eat into the farm's value.

Three takeaways:

1. Co-owners should get a written agreement now, including how someone can be bought out.

2. Talk before you file. A negotiated buyout usually beats a court-ordered sale.

3. Partition is the fallback, not the goal.

Need help? Call Legal Solutions of Iowa at 319-444-3285 or visit www.legalsolutionsofiowa.com.

Next time: fence lines, and why the old fence isn't always the legal boundary.

For general information only. Not legal advice.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Estate planning is what happens when you’re gone. Succession is what you do now, while you’re still living, to hand the family farm off the right way. In this episode of The Back 40, attorney Jen Zahradnik explains why starting early is one of the greatest gifts you can give the next generation — and why so many Iowa farm families wait too long.

An estate plan can’t teach the next generation how to run the place. That part has to happen while you’re here. Jen breaks down how to pass the operation on gradually, in a way that sets your kids up to succeed instead of leaving them to figure it out in a crisis.

In this episode:

• Why succession is a process, not a document — and why you need both
• The three layers of handing off a farm: the work, the decisions, and finally the ownership
• Gifting land vs. selling it — and why that’s a conversation for your lawyer and accountant together
• How a farm LLC or entity can let you transfer the operation gradually instead of all at once
• The real cost of waiting: when a health crisis forces decisions nobody planned for
• Three steps to start: begin earlier than feels necessary, hand over decisions (not just work), and build your team

Whether you’re the parent ready to step back or the next generation stepping up, this episode will help you start the conversation before it’s forced on you.

Jen Zahradnik is the managing partner of Legal Solutions of Iowa, practicing agricultural law, real estate, and estate planning throughout rural Iowa. She’s a lifelong farmer who understands that the farm doesn’t stop — which is exactly why planning ahead matters.

New episodes weekly. Law, land, and life in rural Iowa.

Learn more about Legal Solutions of Iowa: www.legalsolutionsofiowa.com

This podcast is for general information and education only and is not legal advice. Every situation is different — please talk with a licensed attorney about your specific circumstances.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Estate planning is the conversation every Iowa farm family knows they should have — and keeps putting off. In this episode of The Back 40, attorney Jennifer Zahradnik explains, in plain English, what happens to your farm when you're gone, and why "the kids will figure it out" is the riskiest plan there is.

For farm families, estate planning is different than it is for anyone in town: the land is usually the biggest asset, one child often farmed while the others didn't, and the ground isn't just an asset — it's the family. Jen breaks down what you need to know before you sit down at the kitchen table.

In this episode:

• The difference between a will and a trust — in everyday terms
• What probate is, and why it matters for keeping your farm running
• Why farmland makes estate planning different from a house in town
• The "fair vs. equal" problem when one child farms and the others don't
• The real cost of having no plan — and how a fight can outlast the person who's gone
• Three things every farm family should do: get it in writing, keep it current, and have the conversation

Whether you own farmland, rent ground, or are trying to figure out how to pass the operation to the next generation, this episode will help you take the first step toward protecting your land and your family's legacy.

Jennifer Zahradnik is the managing partner of Legal Solutions of Iowa, practicing agricultural law, real estate, and estate planning throughout rural Iowa. She's a lifelong farmer who understands the farm kitchen table because she's sat at it her whole life.

New episodes weekly. Law, land, and life in rural Iowa.

Learn more about Legal Solutions of Iowa: www.LegalSolutionsofIowa.com

This podcast is for general information and education only and is not legal advice. Every situation is different — please talk with a licensed attorney about your specific circumstances.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

🌽 The Back 40 is here! In Episode 1, attorney Jennifer Zahradnik shares how a farm kid from central Nebraska became the lawyer helping Iowa families protect their land. It starts with one piece of ground lost over a handshake — and why that changed everything. Law, land, and life in rural Iowa. 🎧 New episodes weekly. Visit us at www.LegalSolutionsofIowa.com