But the implications go far beyond increased yields and bumps in farm income. Your Email
In some places, grassy areas that once harbored wildlife are being plowed under and tiled to plant corn and soybeans. You stop depreciating property either when you have fully recovered your cost or other basis or when you retire it from service, whichever happens first. Land prices, he said, have risen 5 percent to 10 percent a year and are up substantially since the 1980s. Eligibility Issues The additional first-year depreciation rules allowed farmers to deduct on their 2011 income tax returns 100% of the cost of qualifying assets purchased in 2011 and 50% of the cost of qualifying assets in 2012. 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If you have trouble accessing this page and need to request an alternate format, contact u@osu.edu. Minnesota farmlands are being drain-tiled at a breakneck pace. The first is to ascertain how much tile is installed on the land in question. Fabricate and install with thinset mortar. Flush with cash, hoping to pull in even more, and no longer wanting to rely on the vagaries of weather, many farmers are taking matters into their own hands. It takes tremendous power, Mahoney said. No government agency wants to regulate tiling because (regulation) is politically unpopular with the ag community.. BHS Training Area Car Park Area , Next to the Cricket Oval Richmond end of Saxton field Stoke, BHS Training Area Car Park Area ,Next to the Cricket Oval Richmond end of Saxton field Stoke. If farmers are making land-management decisions, things like tiling, on the basis of how much they can earn, and they think, year in and year out, it will increase yield, they probably will tile their land, Taff said. If the farm drainage tile installed has dual purposes (drainage and subsurface irrigation), are the depreciation rules changed? Farmers who install tile drainage themselves know exactly what theyre getting, instead of leaving it up to someone else who might not be as motivated to do as good a job. Any IRS Section 179 expense deduction and/or bonus depreciation is subtracted from the basis and the remaining balance is then depreciated. Fair market values for basis of previously installed drainage systems must consider several factors. The nonprofit research organization said extravagant federal crop insurance subsidies encourage the trend. The fair market value calculated may not coincide with the remaining basis of the previous owners depreciation schedule. Farm drainage tile is depreciated under the (a) Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) and (b) is classified as tangible property with a (c) recovery period of 15 years when using the General Depreciation System (GDS). We really have advanced this art form to an amazing level, Mahoney said. By almost every estimate, most of it is being done on land already supporting row crops, to make it function more efficiently. You begin to depreciate your property when you (f) place it in service for use in your trade or business or for the production of income. In 2009, it permitted 779.3 miles of drainage tile. Includes planning, equipment and material acquisition, area preparation and protection, setup and cleanup. Costs for local material / equipment delivery to and service provider transportation to and from the job site. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. It must have a useful life that extends substantially beyond the year you place it in service. Once the amount and size is determined, replacement cost is often used as the starting point to determine fair market value of the drainage tile system. Farm managers need to plan for asset repairs and eventual replacement. Water that once stayed on land during wet periods now increasingly filters into underground tile and then courses into ditches, streams and rivers. Follow Dave Orrick at twitter.com/OutdoorsNow. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. Costs to prepare the worksite for Field Tile Installation, including costs to protect existing structure(s), finishes, materials and components. Neither text, nor links to other websites, is reviewed or endorsed by The Ohio State University. High crop and land prices, expiring set-aside contracts, guaranteed crop-insurance programs, built-in tax advantages and dry conditions have combined to create a perfect storm of sorts. From southeastern Minnesotas porous karst to the fertile Red River Valley, machines and workers have been surveying the land with GPS technology, digging trench lines, unrolling flexible plastic drainage tubing and burying it all to maximize tillable acreage and to make farming operations more productive and profitable. St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission votes against Hamline-Midway Library nomination to National Register, St. Pauls original Reds Savoy to be converted into homeless shelter. Agricultural equipment (tractors) just isnt quite up to it. A nonperforated tile would be used where the outflow goes through woods to prevent roots from growing in. This percentage method is rough and does not reflect the age, condition, size or type of the farm drainage tile. The calculated recapture amount must be reported as income for the year the asset was sold. You want to grow as much as you can, King said. Minnesota farm drain tiling: Better crops, but, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window). Daily rental. Its one of the best-kept secrets in the world, he continued. These estimates are NOT substitutes for written quotes from trade professionals. Over the past decade, Congress has repeatedly allowed faster depreciation of capital assets to stimulate business investment by providing a Special Depreciation Allowance or bonus depreciation allowance in the year the asset is purchased. Everybody should be shocked by that. While tiling data arent nearly as precise elsewhere, the surge is beyond dispute. Harl, Neil E., Depreciating farm drainage tile, Agricultural Law Digest, Agriculture Law Press Publications, Kelso, Washington, January 2012. Half-Year Convention. But some critics have questioned whether farmers, especially those not tied into federal farm programs that require tighter oversight, are getting rid of them anyway. Section 179 allows for the recovery of all or part of the cost of certain qualifying property up to a limit, by deducting the expense in the year the asset was placed in service. A new tile drainage machine a self-contained unit might cost up to $500,000. Depreciation is a term used in accounting to spread the cost of an asset over the span of the assets expected life. Bonus Depreciation Balance of 2 hr(s) minimum labor charge that can be applied to other tasks. Tile systems that include pumps or outflow gates can be operated to dry out after harvest in the fall but retain water in the spring before planting, said Roeschlein, the Bois de Sioux administrator. Before starting any job, farmers should check with their local National Resource Conservation Service, or NRCS, office to make sure they arent disturbing wetlands, said Scott Fitscher, NRCS conservation program manager. All of that can carry a hidden public cost. Burying a ribbon of perforated, 3-inch diameter plastic piping every 40 paces or so may appear subtle, but the effects can be significant; installing drain tile can increase crop yields by up to 30 percent, according to industry representatives. Concert review: Brandi Carlile rocks the X. It must have a determinable useful life. Your email address will not be published. General contractor overhead and markup for organizing and supervising the Field Tile Installation. Mid Quarter Convention: Use this convention if the mid-month convention does not apply and the total depreciable bases of MACRS property you placed in service during the last 3 months of the tax year are more than 40% of the total depreciable bases of all MACRS property you placed in service during the entire year. Under MACRS, (g) averaging conventions establish when the recovery period begins and ends. It allows water to move into the soil rather than immediately run off it, said Commerford, who also said it increases evapotranspiration when crops are growing. In 1999, the Bois de Sioux Watershed District approved permits for 2.9 miles of subsurface tile, an artificial way to drain water from land. Therefore, a crop-share landowner may qualify; a cash-rent landowner would not. Answer: No, it appears that the underground pipes and wells would qualify as Section 1245 property used as an integral part of production and therefore be 15-year MACRS property eligible for Section 179. I find it fairly alarming and hypocritical of federal and state governments to put all the emphasis on clean water and flood management and then continue to ignore the 800-pound gorilla in the room, Kalahar added, referring to tiling. One, check the property tax statements for the ratio between the land and the improvements. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and son. Set Project Zip Code Enter the Zip Code for the location where labor is hired and materials purchased. Learn to ride lessons, BHS Tests (Learner ), CBTA tests (Restricted and Full), returning rider assessments , Ride Forever ACC riding courses. That should be an embarrassment to all of us, but its only an embarrassment to a few of us. Previously installed drainage system: You wind up with a whole lineup of equipment.. Depreciation reduces the value of the asset over time due to its use, wear and tear, or uselessness. Moderate to heavy traffic. Add 13% to 22% to the total cost above if a general contractor will supervise this project. And the price is not cheap from $1,000 to $1,500 per acre, Mahoney said. Depreciation This is the only agency officially designated to make such determinations, not Cooperative Extension, the Army Corps of Engineers, or soil and water conservation districts, he said. A farm owner/operator or a crop-share landowner who is materially participating both meet the minimum criteria for using Section 179 on expensing of farm drainage tile. Cost of related materials and supplies typically required to install field tiles including: fabrication and polishing disposables, manufacturer recommended underlayment, fasteners, adhesives and surface sealants. During wet springs, he said, theres less plant base to absorb water and recirculate it into the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. Quantity includes typical waste overage, material for repair and local delivery. Good land is tough to come by, said co-owner Jan King. We're an involved community that values your input. The higher cost of such a system appears to be prompting many farmers to pass on the idea. Answer: Maybe. Other required pieces would be a stringer to unfurl lengths of tile, a wagon to move materials, a laser or GPS to guide installation, and possibly a skid steer. Minnesota farm drain tiling: Better crops, but at what cost? The proposed change would, for the first time, allow the Corps to track drain tile projects. Half-Year Convention: Use this convention if neither the mid-quarter convention nor the mid-month convention applies. In rare cases, comparable sales located in the area where comparable land can be found with and without tile lines, the taxpayer may be able to show the value of the farm drainage tile by showing the difference in the market value of land that does not have tile. Check your tile outlets once a year, he said. Another good source of information are depreciation schedules maintained since installation about the cost and amount of tile installed. Tyler Gillispie from Cannon Falls does some clean up digging on one of the tile junctions in the farmfiled just dug by the back hoe in the background as a crew from Ellingson Drainage installed drain tile in a farm field just west of Northfield Monday morning August 27, 2012. In late August, he organized a two-day event with more than 100 people from the farm industry to sell them on the idea. If you are using the declining balance method, you switch to the straight line method in the year it provides an equal or greater deduction than the declining balance. The rate they are eroding is not natural, Schottler said of riverbanks. It frequently will cost $600-$800 per acre to install systematic subsurface drainage tile and this expense must be written off over time as depreciation. Under the Corps proposal, such activities, which today must surmount several hurdles, including an environmental assessment, would be automatically approved under a statewide general permit.. However, the cost of installing, major improvements, or original basis must be written off as depreciation in an IRS approved method. Depreciation is a farm business expense deducted on a taxpayers Federal tax return. IRC 1060 may require taxpayers to report the allocation on Form 8594 if the assets constitute a trade or business or if there is goodwill or going concern value attached to other assets. The effect of more intensive draining recently is a little harder to figure out, he said. Prices for commodities such as corn and soybeans also are up markedly in recent years, putting extra money in farmers pockets. Plans call for doing 200 acres per year, which should get the job completed in a roughly 10-year time frame. One doctor gives us a timeline. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this summer accepted public comment on a plan to eliminate the need for a special permit to tile under some wetlands smaller than two acres, or to install drain tile under a culvert in the place of an intermittent stream shorter than 2,000 feet long. State and federal authorities said they have run across several questionable instances of tiling on and near wetlands, but those cases are pending. There, critics contend, more runoff contributes to higher flows that lead to more frequent and severe flooding, erosion of stream banks and dirtier water. Were really treating it like a large drainage ditch, Kalahar said. Times like these are when you need to maximize production out of every acre you can, and one of the ways you can do that is to improve soil health, said Doug Albin, who spent more than $40,000 this year tiling a portion of his 1,200-acre corn, soybeans and wheat operation near Clarkfield in southwestern Minnesota. A (e) basis amount is the beginning or adjusted value used to calculate the annual dollar amount deducted as a depreciation expense for each asset item. And that, others say, underscores the need to find a better balance. Homewyse strongly recommends that you contact reputable professionals for accurate assessments of work required and costs for your project - before making any decisions or commitments. Introduction To understand how quickly tile is going in, check out a small watershed district on the states western border. Internal Revenue Service, Farmers Tax Guide, Publication 225, Department of the Treasury, 2011. Under this convention, you treat all property placed in service or disposed of during a tax years as placed in service or disposed of a the midpoint of the year. For two decades, Minnesotas Wetland Conservation Act has had a no-net-loss wetlands provision that limits what farmers can do with sloughs and other wet areas that filter water and shelter wildlife. * Percentage tables are available in IRS Publication 946, How to Depreciate Property. Decades ago, he said spring rains largely were absorbed by grasses or perennial crops like alfalfa. It appears more farmers see prices high for some time to come, Taff said. The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 extended the depreciation bonus for 2011 and 2012 to encourage new equipment purchasing. Non-discounted retail pricing for: Residential grade glazed ceramic tile 12" x 12". Mid-Month Convention: Use this convention for nonresidential real property, residential rental property. And drainage can only be put in at certain times of year, leaving a small window of opportunity. GDS 15 years Unlike other websites that publish pricing from unrelated jobs in the past, Homewyse creates up-to-date estimates from current Unit Costs. We dont have any kind of large-scale system analysis of whats going on, at least at this point, said Doug Norris, wetlands program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Today, such a drainage project would trigger several steps of scrutiny in a process that typically takes 60 to 100 days for approval, said Tim Smith, an official with the St. Paul district of the Corps who helped write the proposal. While those acres are being plowed under and sometimes tiled, another section of the Legacy amendment funnels a like amount to preserving grasslands, wetlands and forests. Sediment from riverbanks and farm fields and agricultural pollutants are among the biggest problems. The basis becomes the cost of the material and the labor for installation minus any allowable Section 179 expense deduction and/or bonus depreciation. Theres a lot of tiling that needs to get done and will get done, Commerford said. This large dairy is in Saratoga County, which is experiencing intense land use pressure from fast-paced residential and commercial development. The most important Farming stories delivered to your inbox each week. NZTA certified. The payback is usually three years. Actual costs will depend on job size, conditions, and options. Early on, government paid for ditching or directly subsidized tiling. Under this convention, you treat all property placed in service or disposed of during any quarter of the tax year as placed in service or disposed of at the midpoint of the quarter . By Wm. He said stream bank erosion and sediment levels in the Minnesota River watershed have increased. But Tom Kalahar, conservation technician for the Renville County Soil and Water Conservation District, said thats nonsense. In the flat landscape of the Red River Valley, he said farmers are primarily seeking to change the drainage of low-lying swales that support crops but frequently become too wet to grow healthy plants. My choice is, as a landowner, do I re-up in CRP or do I exit my contract and plant corn, soybeans and wheat? Taff asked. For sure, its increasing the nitrate load into rivers because thats a water-soluble pollutant.. This increase in productivity increases the value of the land and land rents, but comes at a cost. It must be property you own. Despite all the tiling going on, no one knows exactly how much is taking place in new areas, how much simply replaces or upgrades old systems, how much allows grasslands to be cultivated, or how much actually destroys or degrades wetlands, potholes and sloughs. Farmers, he said, arent tiling too much; theyre not tiling enough. 3. Groups can determine their own course content .. We are classified as a Close Proximity Business under the Covid-19 Protection Framework (Traffic Lights). Its never good enough. The farm is installing drainage on its own. Contracting, trade, design and maintenance businesses rely on the Unit Cost method for transparency, accuracy and fair profits. Service Professionals: create a reusable estimating app that is 100% customized to your business. Layout tile pattern. 1. Tax depreciation is the allowable business expense for IRS purposes. This means that 1 months of depreciation is allowed for the quarter the property is placed in service or disposed of. Farm Drainage Tile Depreciation Example Mid-Quarter Convention Under Red and Orange, you must be fully vaccinated on the date of any training and produce a current My Vaccine Pass either digitally or on paper. Required fields are marked *. Re-calculate Click the "Update" button. It takes time and study. So, let us know - did we meet your needs? An ongoing wetlands-monitoring project may be able to tie some wetlands losses to tiling, he added. Its the hidden infrastructure that the public doesnt have a clue about. ADS 20 years, For drainage tile, this means the choice of (d) depreciation methods are: Your email address will not be published. The Unit Cost method delivers high accuracy by using location, details and options for the unique requirements of each job.
Precipitation that used to evaporate is now routed to the rivers. Determining Basis But Roeschlein said he doesnt believe wetlands, at least in his area, are being affected. Also, I believe those who defend drainage, who say theres no impact on water quality, also are not correct.. A recent Minnesota Pollution Control Agency report concluded that farms in the Minnesota River watershed contribute almost two-thirds of the sediment clogging Lake Pepin, the widening of the Mississippi River southeast of the Twin Cities. Land-use changes also have had an effect, he said. About 55 percent of Ohios agricultural soils need drainage improvement to minimize soil erosion, excess soil-water conditions in the plant root zone, and unfavorable field conditions for farm equipment in the spring and fall. As much as we may abhor drainage, its not going away, Fisher said. Hes been installing the systems for 34 years. 2013 depreciation $1,805 ($19,000 x 9.5%*) That water must go somewhere, and much of it is probably running off fields into rivers and streams, he said. Some work was done in-house at this sixth-generation dairy, while some was contracted out. Artificial drainage reduces the amount of time that water remains on the landscape.. To me, it tells us were nowhere near any serious change in water management in the state of Minnesota.. And much of that farmland already has tile, some of it decades old. Yes, you read that right. Furthermore, aerial photographs taken following a heavy rain early in the year when vegetation is sparse or non-existent often reveal the location of mains and laterals. In other words, a landowner would be able to fill a 1,500-foot slough, via an underground culvert covered by dirt, with little more than a notification to the Corps attesting to compliance. Depreciation System, Property Class, Recovery Period, Depreciation Method There was an error processing your request. Depreciation, Section 179 property expensing and bonus depreciation are subject to recapture (Section 1245 Property) upon the sale of the asset prior to the expiration of the recovery period. Tiling, he contended, actually reduces the volume of water getting into rivers by making drainage more consistent. Because much of the state is characterized by fertile, flat soils and adequate rainfall, crop production occurs on 45 percent of Ohios land area. How is the Depreciation Figured? 2. Does the installation of farm drainage tile come under the Soil and Water Conservation Expense limits of 25% of gross income from farming? how can we improve this site? It may or may not be close to the economic depreciation. He also contended that tiling reduces sediment loss and helps wildlife by lessening the temptation to till less productive land. More than 100 farmers from central New York to western New England turned out for a recent Tile Drainage School hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension in Ballston Spa. GDS using 150% Declining Balance Do I have recapture of depreciation as ordinary income if I sell the farm before the end of the depreciation (Recovery) period? Minnesota farmlands are being drain-tiled at a breakneck pace. Another option, which many farmers use, is pulling a tile drain plow with a bulldozer. If that decision is made strictly for financial reasons, higher prices for corn and beans, its more likely they will not re-up.. He contended that tiling funnels more water and pollutants into the Minnesota River, which runs through the heart of the states south and central agricultural region, undermining attempts to clean it up. Steven Taff, an agricultural economist at the University of Minnesota, said farmers optimistic about the direction of corn, soybean and land prices have a straightforward decision: Will tiling expenses, which can run in the tens of thousands of dollars, be recouped by projected higher profits? Also, the equipment needed for installation can be quite expensive. In fact, the surge has prompted at least one wetlands-regulation agency to propose loosening up the approval process when small wetlands are being drained. Despite the challenges, more and more farms are convinced that tile drainage is a worthwhile investment. If there was a violation 20 years ago, thats still on the books, Fitscher said. Others argue that the long-term damage isnt worth the extra income. These maps should contain the location and size for laterals, mains, and control drainage structures. To figure your depreciation, you determine (a) the depreciation system, (b) property class, (c) recovery period, (d) depreciation method, (e) basis amount, (f) placed-in-service date, and (g) convention. Farms that violate wetlands regulations may no longer quality for USDA loan programs or commodity payments. BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. Tile drainage can increase profits by contributing to higher crop yields, and saves time and money by allowing farmers to work fields uniformly instead of coming back later to deal with problem wet areas. The content of this site is published by the site owner(s) and is not a statement of advice, opinion, or information pertaining to The Ohio State University. You need three or four people to do it right.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Management Information For Today's Agricultural Business. What were shooting for, of course, is just plain profitable crops; a crop that is uniformly yielding over the whole field, said Steve Mahoney, owner of Riverbend Farm Agricultural and Environmental Services in Clinton County, N.Y. I encourage you all to tile-drain your farms. We make a determination that this category of activity leads to minimal individual and cumulative impact on the environment, and we do it in advance, instead of on every individual permit application.. Palm Springs newspaper readers drought fix: Siphon the Mississippi, 1st ship carrying Ukrainian grain leaves the port of Odesa. That, he added, contributes to an oxygen-depleted zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Fair market values for basis are easily determined if the landowner is adding a new farm drainage system. (Pioneer Press: John Doman), A stringer machine (on the horizon) lays out 4" drain tile across a cornfiled as a crew from Ellingson Drainage installed drain tile in a farm field just west of Northfield Monday morning August 27, 2012. Agriculture is Ohios largest industry.