Rhea Landholm, brand marketing and communications manager, rheal@cfra.org or 402.687.2100 ext. 1025
Lyons, NE - On March 11th, the Center for Rural Affairs will host Map of my Kingdom, a play commissioned by Practical Farmers of Iowa and written by Iowa’s Poet Laureate Mary Swander, which tackles the crucial issue of land transition.
Kingdom shares stories of land succession, as told by Angela Martin, a land dispute attorney that has worked with farmers and landowners for years. Some families almost came to blows, struggling to resolve the sale and transfer of their land, dissolving familial relationships. Others found peacefully rational solutions that focused not only on the viability of the family, but also of the land.
"Transitioning a farm is perhaps the most difficult thing any farmer will have to do. This play and the ensuing discussion panel play an important role in facilitating the thought processes and discussions necessary to have a successful farm transition plan in place," said Tyler Vacha of the Center for Rural Affairs. "Anyone who thinks they will ever face these difficult decisions should consider attending this event."
Land is the thread that binds all of the stories together. Map of my Kingdom will resonate with those who have been through or are working through challenging land transfer issues that include division of the land among siblings, to selling out to a neighbor, to attempts to preserve the land's integrity against urban sprawl. The drama will inspire the hesitant and the fearful to start the conversation that cannot wait. Today, a vast amount of land in the United States is owned by those over 65 years old. Some have made their wishes clear for the future of their property. Others are courting family upheaval by not planning in concrete ways. An age old problem, evident in literature from the Bible to King Lear to Willa Cather, land transition asks hard questions: Who really owns the land? And what is the role of the steward of a property? Can "fair" become "unfair" to one's children?
The Center for Rural Affairs invites those interested in tackling these issues that can have lasting effects on entire rural communities to join them for an afternoon of theater and discussion.
WHAT: Map of my Kingdom, a play tackling the issues surrounding farm transitions
WHERE: West Education Center | Central Community College | Columbus, NE
WHEN: Friday, March 11, 2016 | 2:30PM
This event is free and open to the public.
Panel discussion to follow. Panelists are landowners currently in various stages of land transfers, or those who have witnessed the effects of land transfers.
This program is funded in part by Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.
