Jennifer L. Zahradnik

I’ve taken client calls from the cab of a combine, walked into the office in coveralls, and worn muck boots over a suit to check livestock before heading to court. That’s not a branding tactic—it’s simply my life.

I was born in Nebraska in the late 1970s, into a family farm operation rooted in generations of grit. My dad farmed alongside my grandma and uncle on the ground my great‑grandfather homesteaded. Ours was a truly diversified operation: 500 ewes, 50 cows, a farrow‑to‑finish hog setup, and row crops. Agriculture wasn’t something we did—it was who we were.

Then the 1980s farm crisis hit. Like many families, we were forced to make impossible decisions. We left Nebraska for Kansas, where my dad taught for three years. Eventually, he moved our family—my mom, three kids, and a dream—to Iowa so he could attend law school and rebuild our future.

When we moved to a Bondurant acreage in 1989, my grandma handed me my first set of Iowa show lambs. That gift changed my life. It rooted me deeper into agriculture and ignited the passion that still grounds me today. I’ve maintained a show‑lamb operation ever since and have shown sheep, pigs, and chickens for decades.

I can run a tractor. I still bottle babies. I know what it means to care for land and livestock before yourself. And yes, sometimes I meet clients in the field because the best conversations happen where the decisions are made.

The Moment That Clarified My Mission

Years later, my dad, brother, and I had the opportunity to buy back our great‑grandfather’s homestead—the Gocke farm that built our family story. It had passed through relatives and was finally coming up for sale. We offered full appraised value. Before we could finalize the purchase, the neighbor offered more.

And just like that, the land that held our family’s history, roots, and identity was gone.

You don’t forget the feeling of losing something that can never be replaced.

That moment changed how I practice law. It turned my career into a calling.

Why I Practice Ag Law the Way I Do

I became a lawyer in 2003, focusing exclusively on agricultural law:

• Real estate
• Farm & business transition planning
• Estate planning
• Probate
• Agricultural civil litigation

I don’t just understand the legal framework—I understand the lived reality.

I know what a CSR2 score means. I know why it matters. I know how neighbors influence land value, succession decisions, and disputes. I know that every acre carries history, family dynamics, and emotion inside its legal description.

I’ve lived the heartbreak of losing a family farm.
And I’ve lived the responsibility of protecting one.

What I Stand For

My work is built on one mission:

Protecting farms, families, and futures.

Your land is more than property.
It’s legacy.
It’s identity.
It’s your family’s story written in soil.

My role is to help you keep it that way.