Agriculture Tax & Accounting Conference

Chad Hart, Professor, Iowa State University

Chad Hart was born and raised in southwest Missouri and his parents raised a few cattle and operated a small meat locker. Chad received a B.S. in economics with minors in mathematics, history, and astronomy from Southwest Missouri State University in 1991. He moved to Iowa in the summer of 1991 to pursue graduate education, and received a Ph.D. in economics and statistics in 1999 from Iowa State University. Upon graduation, Chad worked as a researcher at CARD at Iowa State. Then he joined the faculty in 2008. His main research areas are in agricultural marketing and risk management.

Chet Mellema, Exchange Officer, IPE 1031

With a juris doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law, where he served as a student writer and Note & Comment Editor for the Journal of Corporation Law, Chet also holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Drake University, and a Business Leadership Certificate from Drake's College of Business and Public Administration. Chet is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, serving several terms on the Real Estate & Title Section Council, the American Bar Association, Iowa Commercial Real Estate Association, and the Federation of Exchange Accommodators. He brings over 16 years of private practice and corporate legal experience to IPE 1031, with concentrations in real estate, business and debtor/creditor law. Chet is a contributing editor to the Iowa State Bar Association Income Tax Manual, holds the designation of Certified Exchange Specialist ("CES®"), and regularly speaks on the topic of 1031 for realtors, accountants, attorneys and similar professionals.

Kristine Tidgren, Director/Faculty, Iowa State University

Kristine is the Leonard Dolezal adjunct associate professor in the Agricultural Education & Studies Department at Iowa State University. She also serves as the Director for the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation, which includes Iowa’s Beginning Farmer Center. Since joining CALT in 2013, Kristine has written hundreds of blogposts (AgDocket) and other publications to keep tax professionals, attorneys, agricultural producers, and policymakers informed about tax and legal developments impacting agriculture. She also writes and edits curriculum for income tax courses taught throughout the country and oversees the educational materials and resources offered by CALT. Each year, Kristine speaks to thousands of professionals and producers on tax and agricultural law topics. She also directs nine two-day Annual Federal Income Tax Schools, an Agricultural Law Seminar, three Agricultural Tax Issues Courses, and various webinars hosted by CALT. In 2023, CALT partnered with The Ohio State University and the National Agricultural Law Center to offer Cultivating Connections: A Conference for Farm Transition Planners. Kristine teaches AgEds 451, a three-credit agricultural law class in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She regularly collaborates with members of the Rural Tax Education Committee, the Land Grant University Tax Education Foundation, and the American Agricultural Law Association, where she serves as a board member. Kristine is licensed to practice law in Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas (inactive).

Paul Neiffer, Author & Speaker, Paul G. Neiffer, CPA

Paul Neiffer, CPA provides income and estate tax planning services and FSA planning related to farmers and their families. Paul is past president of the Farm Financial Standards Council and current chair of the AICPA Ag Conference. He writes the "FarmCPA" column for Top Producer magazine along with their Top Producer Podcast and is also the primary author of the "FarmCPAReport.com" blog. Paul is a nationally recognized speaker on many subjects related to farmers and processors including tax planning, estate tax and succession planning, farm management accounting, farm bill, farm economics and many other related topics. He was instrumental in the Congressional discussions that resulted in the "grain glitch fix" in early 2018, after the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.