Johnny Klemme on the True Value of Farmland and Family Legacy
As farmland values continue to make headlines across the Midwest, Indiana farmland advisor and author Johnny Klemme believes the true value of land goes far beyond dollars per acre.
Klemme, co-owner of Geswein Farm & Land Realty in Lafayette, Indiana, has spent years helping farm families navigate inheritance, succession planning, and difficult land decisions. Through those experiences, he has seen firsthand how farmland often carries emotional and generational value alongside financial value.
“Land means something different to every person,” Klemme shared in an interview with American Farmland Owner. “For some, it’s financial. For others, it’s family history, responsibility, or stewardship.”
Klemme is also the author of American Family Farmland: A Landowner’s Guide to Inheriting the Farm, a book focused on helping families have honest conversations about the future of their land.
According to Klemme, many of the toughest decisions happen when emotion, family expectations, and economics intersect. Whether families are considering selling farmland, passing it to the next generation, or dividing it among heirs, each situation is deeply personal.
“Sometimes families worry that passing the farm down could create even more problems,” he explained. “That’s a very real concern.”
Rather than viewing those differences as conflict, Klemme encourages families to better understand each other’s perspectives. He intentionally wrote his book in a conversational tone that reflects the real-life settings where many of these discussions take place.
“I wanted it to feel like we were sitting together at the kitchen table,” he said. “That’s where most of my conversations with clients happen.”
Beyond the financial side of agriculture, Klemme also emphasizes stewardship and conservation. His own Indiana farm includes tillable acreage, wooded ground, wildlife habitat, and riparian buffers — all of which shape how he defines value today.
“At this stage of life, value feels more intrinsic than financial,” he said.
Now a grandfather, Klemme says his thoughts increasingly focus on the next generation and the future of family farmland.
“I hope we can continue teaching the next generation to steward the land well and understand that sometimes change is okay,” he shared.
At a time when agriculture conversations often center on markets and land prices, Klemme offers a reminder that farmland represents far more than a financial asset. For many families, it is a lasting connection between generations, stewardship, and legacy.