Our Associates

Mobile: 319-270-6975

Steve began his 30-year financial services career immediately upon graduation from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1992.  He achieved a B. A. degree, Magna Cum Laude, with a double major of Economics and Business Administration. 

As a native Iowan, born and raised on his families’ farm in nearby Wellman, Iowa his heritage was deeply engaged in agriculture.  In 1994, Steve founded Farm Financial Strategies, Inc. (FFS), a program to offer strategies to ‘preserve the family farm’. 

Today FFS has 13 associates and does business in 7 Midwestern states.  While saving estate shrinkage was the original mission, keeping countless numbers of farms in the family has been the driving force behind day to day operations. 

Steve is one of three founding partners in a new firm called Next Gen Ag Advocates, Ltd. Where FFS is positioned to transition operating farms within the family, Next Gen’s mission is to match inheriting or retiring land owners with an outside the family producer to operate the farm. 

Steve has served as President of Cedar Rapids Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.  He also served on the board of directors for the Iowa FFA Foundation and Coe College’s Board of Visitors.  He currently writes a popular column on farm transition and succession strategies the Iowa Farmer Today, Illinois Farmer Today and Missouri Farmer Today publications.   

Steve is active at his church and owns and operates his family farm operation in southeast Iowa.  He is married to his college sweetheart, Jennifer.  They are the proud parents of Brody (age 24), twins Baxter and Ayva (age 20). 

Mobile: 641-220-1945

Myron’s farming roots start on the family farm in Mountain Lake, MN.  He began his own livestock ownership as a 7^th grader and has owned land or livestock ever since.  He graduated from South Dakota State University in 1989 and spent the next 11 years as an Ag Teacher and FFA Advisor in Osage, Iowa while growing his own farm in the Osage area.

In 2000, Myron transitioned from teaching to farm transition planning.  He knew this was a calling as he observed serious turmoil when both sides of his grandparents passed away.  Both of those farms and families were bitterly divided.  He has a passion to help other families avoid those issues .

Myron is the Co-Owner of Farm Financial Strategies, Inc., a company that specializes in developing estate and transition strategies for farm families across the Midwest.  An important goal is to take farm families all the way from the start of the process through the “finish line” by getting coordinated documents signed and properly communicated.

In addition, Myron is the Co-Owner of Farm Estate GPS which is designed to provide unbiased education to any farm family.  This web-based information focuses on key terms, topics and teaching in both written and video format that subscribers can access anytime to help them take a next step in their planning or to stay aware of relevant estate planning topics available to enhance their existing plans.

Myron currently owns and operates 940 acres of continuous corn and has contracts for both nursery and finishing pigs.  He also currently writes a popular farm transition column for both Successful Farming magazine and AgWeek.

He lives on his farm north of Osage, Iowa with his wife, Lisa.  They have 4 children, Alexa (25), Tyler (23), and twin girls Emily and Ellie (20).  Myron and his family have all been very active in athletics, their church and other mission projects.

Myron is a Registered Representative of Lincoln Financial Securities.

Mobile: 319-230-4863

Bruce Buhr (Sumner, IA) has been working with farm families since 1997. Bruce owns a 300 acre grain and livestock farm in Sumner, Iowa.

Bruce is not affiliated with Lincoln Financial Securities.

Associate, Farm Financial Strategies

Co-Owner, Next Generation Ag Advocates

Mobile: 319-361-2409

Mike Downey (Lisbon, IA) grew up on his family’s grain and livestock farm in west-central Illinois, near Roseville. He received his degree in Agricultural Business and Finance from the University of Illinois in 2000. He began his career in land management and real estate with Hertz Farm Management and was responsible for a 7-county area in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. He has since joined Farm Financial Strategies to pursue his interest in helping farm families and landowners with their estate planning and strategies for passing their family farm to the next generation.

He is also co-owner of Next Generation Ag Advocates, which was founded in 2018 by two farmers from Iowa to help match retiring farmers and landowners that don’t have a successor to like-minded producers that will carry on their farm operation.  He utilizes his past experiences to help them and others as an independent 3^rd party for their lease relationships as well as other consulting services such as real estate, farm financial consulting, and young farmer programs. 

Mike holds the designations of Accredited Farm Manager through the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, Accredited Land Consultant through the Realtors Land Institute, and Certified Farm Succession Coordinator through the International Farm Transition Network. 

He and his family live on a small farm near Lisbon, Iowa and he enjoys helping on his wife’s family farm in Cedar County, Iowa. 

Mike is not affiliated with Lincoln Financial Securities.

Mobile: 319-721-3007

John Hansen (Cedar Rapids, IA) grew up on a grain and livestock family farm at Pomeroy, Iowa. Upon graduating from Iowa State University in 1977 with a degree in Agricultural Education, he taught Vocational Agriculture for seven years. While teaching, he served on the State Board of Directors for the Future Farmers of America. After teaching, John lived in Denmark and worked on a soil and water conservation project. Upon his return to the United States, he began a 16-year career as a District Sales Manager for DeKalb. In 2001, he began working with Farm Financial Strategies.

John is married to Debra and has one child, Madeleine. 

John is a Registered Representative of Lincoln Financial Securities.

Alt Phone: 866-853-1626

Travis Harris (Bloomfield, IA) has worked with farm families since 1999. Travis is involved with a 700 acre row crop and cow calf family farm operation in Moulton, Iowa.

Travis is a Registered Representative of Lincoln Financial Securities.

Ken Kruger (DeWitt, IA) started with Farm Financial Strategies in 2003 after an enjoyable career with the Farm Service Agency. Ken grew up on a family dairy farm near Waukon, Iowa. Ken has been working with farm families ever since graduating from the University of Iowa in 1980, starting as the Executive Director for the Wayne County ASCS office in Corydon before moving to the same position in Clinton County after being in Corydon for one year. In 2000, Ken ventured out on his own to learn the workings of a life insurance company until starting with Farm Financial Strategies in 2003.

Also during this time, Ken studied for and attained his Certified General Appraiser's license for the State of Iowa and now specializes in farm appraisals as an independent appraiser in eastern Iowa. He is a member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.

Ken married his wife, Kristen, in 1985 and together enjoy their growing family with both daughters married and two active grandchildren.

Ken is not affiliated with Lincoln Financial Securities.

Mobile: 319-269-0279

Hugh Mackintosh (Sumner, IA) has been with Farm Financial Strategies for 21 years. Hugh was born on the family farm near Livermore, Iowa. He is a graduate of Iowa State University and worked in the dairy industry before joining Farm Financial Strategies. Hugh works primarily in the Northeast area of Iowa.

Hugh is not affiliated with Lincoln Financial Securities.

Mobile: 515-419-5211

Mark grew up near Defiance, IA and joined Farm Financial Strategies in 2005 after his family went through their planning process.  Being the off-farm heir, with a farming brother, and a brother with special needs, he saw the value of having a solid plan in place.  He’s helped farm families design their own customized strategies ever since.

Prior to 2005, Mark was an engineer. He tested design concepts at the manufacturing level and resolved customer issues.  He graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1998.  Engineering taught him systematic problem-solving skills which he now uses to keep farms in the family.

Farm succession hit Mark on a personal level when his dad died in a farm accident in 2008, and his grandma passed away eight years later.  He credits his family and the proactive estate strategies for growing the farm through five generations.  Mark owns farm land and bought into a hog operation with his farming brother through these strategies. 

Mark is a co-founder of Farm Estate GPS along with Myron Friesen.  Farm Estate GPS is an online resource designed to help families understand their options and make informed decisions for their estate and farm succession strategies, all at a pace that works for them. 

Mark is a contributing columnist for Successful Farming Magazine.  He also loves to serve through his church, coaching, and faith-based youth programs.  He likes to say he lives in Ankeny, IA because it strategically provides interstate access for his Midwest clients.  However, the truth is that his wife is from Ankeny, and there’s no place he would rather be than with her and their three above average kids!

Mark is an Advisory Representative of Lincoln Financial Securities.

Chad Reed (Parnell, IA) grew up on a family farm in southeast Iowa near South English, IA. After graduating with degrees in mathematics and computer science, he worked in technology for 20 years. Love of the farm pulled him back into his family's operation, which now includes 700 acres of row crops and a farrow to finish hog operation. Chad has been helping farm families with Farm Financial Strategies, Inc. since 2013.

Chad is not affiliated with Lincoln Financial Securities.

Mobile: 319-361-4734

Jared Schmidt grew up in Northeast Iowa. Jared has a degree from Wartburg College and graduate degree from Northern Arizona University.

Before joining Farm Financial Strategies, Inc., Jared began his career as an educator, first as a high school teacher, then as a college professor. He enjoyed coaching football at both the high school and collegiate levels.

After joining Farm Financial in 2003, Jared has worked with families all over the Midwest. He has helped and continues to help families navigate the process of creating plans to ensure the farm is continued as desired by the family which is a personal and emotional process.  Jared works closely with them to understand their farm and identify their specific goals, so the plan reflects their view, and reflects their farm.

Jared currently lives in Ankeny with his wife, Heather, and three children: two daughters 14 &11, and one son, 9. He stays active in his kids’ activities by coaching many of their sports activities. Jared’s wife, Heather, is a realtor in the Ankeny area.

Jared is a Registered Representative of Lincoln Financial Securities.

Mobile: 712-420-4048

Rick Wiggs (Whiting, IA) has been with Farm Financial Strategies since 2001. Rick was raised on a 2500 acre grain farm in Sloan, IA. He has a degree in Economics and Business Administration and resides in Whiting with his wife and three children.

Rick is not affiliated with Lincoln Financial Securities.