In an expansion of our agricultural preservation efforts, the Iowa Barn Foundation now accepts gifts economically and financially self-sustaining farms and farmland. These farms or farmland will be saved in perpetuity for agricultural purposes according to the owner’s wishes. Contributions to the Iowa Barn Foundation’s Farm Conservancy Project are deductible for income tax, gift tax, and federal estate tax purposes. You can also donate real estate through the Iowa Barn Foundation’s Endowment Fund. The Iowa Barn Foundation board of directors hopes this effort will have a strong and positive effect and help to further agriculture in Iowa and elsewhere.

Kelly Tobin, an Iowa Barn Foundation board member, is chairman of the foundation’s Farm Conservancy Project. Kelly, a farmer and farm manager, is past president of the Conservation Districts of Iowa and is a current board member and Region 8 director. He is also a past president of the Iowa State Agriculture Foundation Farms.

The following aspects of the Farm Conservancy Project support and encourage agriculture and agricultural practices in Iowa:

Historic or architecturally interesting houses, barns, and other agricultural buildings on these farms will be preserved and maintained as part of the rural landscape.
Strong soil conservation practices will be encouraged.
Soil fertility will be maintained.
Preference will be given to young and beginning farmers from the respective localities when renting the farms as a way of encouraging young farmers.
Income earned from these farms, beyond that needed by the farms, will go into the preservation of agricultural buildings in the state.

Others on the Farm Conservancy Committee include Paul Ramsey, Iowa native who is a Los Angeles, California developer; Mary Dunea, Des Moines native from Chicago, who is the daughter of Iowa writer George Mills and who has been active in historic preservation in Canada and the United States; and Jacqueline Andre Schmeal, president of the Iowa Barn Foundation.

The Iowa Barn Foundation will be taking seriously what the donor’s wishes are for the land. Those involved know the special relationship many feel for their land and want to be certain those wishes are carried out. That will be the cardinal principle guiding this project.& Contributions to the Farm Conservancy Project are deductible for income tax, gift tax, and federal estate tax purposes.

The Los Angeles Times, in writing about the Iowa Barn Foundation and its all-state tour in September, said “Iowa has led the way” in barn preservation with the non-profit Iowa Barn Foundation. The foundation’s board hopes that it will lead the way in preserving farmsteads and farmland at this critical juncture in history.

In an editorial in the second January issue of Wallace's Farmer, Frank Holdmeyer states “We’ve used this space in the past to extol the virtues of the Iowa Barn Foundation (IBF). The IBF, founded in 1997, will now consider accepting economically and financially self-sustaining farms and farmland. These farms or farmland will be saved in perpetuity for agricultural purposes according to the owner’s wishes.” Regarding the list of premises and promises stated above, Mr. Holdmeyer states “You can’t ask for much more than that.”

For more information about the Iowa Barn Foundation’s Farm Conservancy Project, please contact: Kelly Tobin (712) 585-3369 or Jacqueline Andre Schmeal (505) 988-5917.