Summer Farm Income Tax/Estate and Business Planning Conference

Overview

For over the past decade I have conducted at least one summer tax conference addressing farm income tax and farm estate and business planning. The seminars have been held from coast-to-coast in choice locations – from North Carolina and New York in the East to California and Alaska in the West, and also from Michigan and Minnesota in the North to New Mexico in the South.  This summer’s conference will be in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania on June 7-8 and is sponsored by the Washburn University School of Law.  Our co-sponsors are the Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics and the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs.  My teaching partner again this year will be Paul Neiffer, the author of the Farm CPA Today blog.  If you represent farm clients or are engaged in agricultural production and are interested in ag tax and estate/succession planning topics, this is a must-attend conference.

Today’s post details the seminar agenda and other key details of the conference.

Agenda

The first day of the seminar will focus on ag income tax topics.  Obviously, a major focus will be centered on the new tax law and how that law, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TCJA), impacts agricultural producers, agribusinesses and lenders.  One of points of emphasis will be on providing practical examples of the application of the TCJA to common client situations.  Of course, a large part of that discussion will be on the qualified business income (QBI) deduction.  Perhaps by the time of the seminar we will know for sure how that QBI deduction applies to sales of ag products to cooperatives and non-cooperatives. 

Of course, we will go through all of the relevant court cases and IRS developments in addition to the TCJA.  There have been many important court ag tax court decisions over the past year, as those of your who follow my annotations page on the “Washburn Agricultural Law and Tax Report” know first-hand. 

Many agricultural producers are presently having a tough time economically.  As a result, we will devote time to financial distress and associated tax issues – discharged debt; insolvency; bankruptcy tax; assets sales, etc.

We will also get into other issues such as tax deferral issues; a detailed discussion of self-employment tax planning strategies; and provide an update on the repair/capitalization regulations. 

On Day 2, the focus shifts to estate and business planning issues for the farm client. Of course, we will go through how the TCJA impacts estate planning and will cover the key court and IRS developments that bear on estate and business planning.  We will also get into tax planning strategies for the “retiring” farmer and farm program payment eligibility planning. 

The TCJA also impacts estate and business succession planning, particularly when it comes to entity choice.  Should a C corporation be formed?  What are the pros and cons of entity selection under the TCJA?  What are the options for structuring a farm client’s business?  We will get into all of these issues.

On the second day we will also get into long-term care planning options and strategies, special use valuation, payment federal estate tax in installments, and the income taxation of trusts and estates.

Location

The seminar will be held at the Shippensburg University Conference Center.  There is an adjacent hotel that has established a room block for conference attendees at a special rate.  Shippensburg is close to the historic Gettysburg Battlefield and is not too far from Lancaster County and other prime ag production areas.  Early June will be a great time of the year to be in Pennsylvania.

Attend In-Person or Via the Web

The conference will be simulcast over the web via Adobe Connect.  If you attend over the web, the presentation will be both video and audio.  You will be able to interact with Paul and I as well as the in-person attendees.  On site seating is limited to the first 100 registrants, so if you are planning on attending in-person, make sure to get your spot reserved. 

More Information

You can find additional information about the seminar and register here:       http://washburnlaw.edu/employers/cle/farmandranchincometax.html 

Conclusion

If you have ag clients, you will find this conference well worth your time. We look forward to seeing you at the seminar either in-person or via the web.