New topics from the LandThink Community http://community.landthink.com/index.php Mon, 14 May 2012 23:05:48 +0000 120 http://community.landthink.com/topic/177-buying-land-in-use-ag/
As the buyer, I look at the land USE as an encumbrance on the land, or a possible future liability that I will own from the seller's 6 years of action (their savings). The held back liability only becomes due for me if I later sell any of the AG land in USE. Is there a common practice to best handle this situation in a purchase offer? Some might say the practice is the seller refunds the 'held back' taxes at closing to the buyer, or the 'held back' taxes are put into an escrow account where after each year the seller is paid back 1 year of the previous 'held back' tax. Please let me know what practices you've seen, your state or area, and the frequency you've seen that practice done.]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 23:05:48 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/177-buying-land-in-use-ag/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/176-teach-a-man-to-fish/
If you think back to your K-12 education, or perhaps think about what your kids are learning in the classroom, it probably focused mainly on the four pillars: Math, Science, English, and Social Studies. You may have taken other electives, but few if any of your classes probably cultivated a deep appreciation for the outdoors. In fact, we would bet you were more likely to be looking out the window than you were to actually be outside feeling the sun and the wind and the grass.

A program led by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Department of Education, and state council of Trout Unlimited is trying to change all of it. And it’s wildly successful.

The program, Trout in the Classroom, is exactly what its same suggests: students raise brook trout from eggs to fingerlings in classroom aquariums and release them into nearby waterways. The best part of the program is that its educational benefits extend into many different areas of study. At many of the over 200 schools now participating in the program, entire grades take on the project of raising the trout, with teachers from each subject offering a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the life-cycle and significance of trout and fish in general.

To learn more about the program, or to get information on how to get your school involved, check out these stories from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Trout in the Classroom website.]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 16:06:28 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/176-teach-a-man-to-fish/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/175-waterfowl-habitat-forturkeys/
There are only two species of wild turkeys in the world, and we’ve got them both right here in North America. Probably should be protecting them, eh?

Luckily for us, both turkey species regularly use wetlands at some point in their life cycle, so preserving their habitat doesn’t have to happen at the expense of other species. Indeed, wetland and grassland habitat provides ideal conditions both for brood rearing and for finding food. While many migrating and wintering waterfowl use moist-soil habitats for foraging in the fall, turkeys regularly feed in those same habitats in the spring once the flood waters have receded and a variety of vegetation starts blooming.

In order to protect the many species that use these moist-soil habitats, Ducks Unlimited has partnered with a range of public and private agencies to protect lands stretching from Mexico to Canada. Taking advantage of such programs as the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Habitat Partnership grants, Ducks Unlimited has been quite successful at preserving large, contiguous areas of habitat that will protect turkeys (and many other species) for generations to come.

To read more about their efforts, you can find more information by visiting the Ducks Unlimited website.]]> Tue, 01 May 2012 13:22:54 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/175-waterfowl-habitat-forturkeys/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/174-the-tanyard-creek-chew-crew/
a) Round-Up

b ) Image Kudzu Killer

c) Goats

d) Arrest Herbicide

If you answered c) Goats, congratulations! You have successfully distinguished between chemicals and animals! Now, you may be wondering why goats were included in a list of products clearly designed with the specific purpose of removing unwanted plants, especially since goats are, well, goats. We included them because goats are actually some of the most effective (and ecologically-friendly!) removers of invasive species because of their capacity to eat a huge amount of plant matter without destroying surrounding, desirable plants.

In fact, goats are so effective at removing invasives that Zach Richardson, an intern at FSC affiliate McKee Carson, recently received a grant from the University of Georgia to use goats in order to remove English Ivy, Privet, and other aggressive native species in an effort to restore native forests adjacent to an important waterway on UGA’s campus. Nicknamed the Tanyard Creek Chew Crew, the goats are not only effective at removing the plants, they are also an ecologically-friendly alternative to heavy machinery and pesticides. Further, they also serve as an engaging tool for educating students, faculty, and staff about the need for restoring native life, especially in environmentally-sensitive areas.

To learn more about Zach’s program, check out this video. You can also follow their progress by visiting the Chew Crew’s Facebook page.]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:29:00 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/174-the-tanyard-creek-chew-crew/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/173-let-your-weeds-grow-freely-with-purpose/ We recently came across this article in Plateau Land & Wildlife’s most recent newsletter, “Seasons.” Written by Shane Kiefer, Plateau’s Senior Wildlife Biologist, it lays out the case for redefining the “perfect lawn” as something other than the manicured, monoculture turf expanse so popular today. We would love to hear what you think of when you imagine the perfect lawn.

From Shane:

Last year I wrote about the silver lining of natural disturbances with a focus on the wildfires that were so prevalent at the time. Natural disturbances are an important part of the natural world. They remind us that nature never stands still.

In particular, I mentioned the positive side effects of drought that appear when favorable conditions return, and the recent winter rains are giving us a good demonstration of those beneficial outcomes. The drought set the stage for those fires, which are a natural part of most ecosystems in Texas, but drought also reduces decadent plant growth, even without fire. That built up plant material dries up and breaks down (and blows away) or is consumed by foraging animals as a consequence of not having any fresh growth on which to feed.

By opening up bare ground, this encourages a flush of annual forbs and other weedy species when the rains return (which they have for now) that doves, deer, quail, Wild Turkeys, seed-eating songbirds, butterflies, bees, and many other species rely upon. Look at how many spring weeds you have in your yard right now after last year’s watering restrictions. While my neighbors may not appreciate it, my yard is an excellent demonstration of an early successional plant community that many types of wildlife relish.

This explosion of new growth also results in a boom in insects and arthropods that are essential to nesting birds, reptiles, amphibians, etc. The plants are the core of the food web and insects are an important part of its structural integrity.

The lesson here is that the flora and fauna, and ecosystems that they comprise in Texas are built to withstand drought and other disturbances. The healthier and better managed your land is, the better equipped they are to do just that. So this spring, tell your neighbors that your yard is an experiment in ecological succession for the benefit of wildlife, and take delight in the weeds, forbs, wildflowers, or whatever you prefer to call them. The wildlife certainly will. And if you feel like learning more about the names of all those weeds on your property, call Plateau- we will be happy to take you on a walk.]]> Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:44:25 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/173-let-your-weeds-grow-freely-with-purpose/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/172-white-house-commits-to-conservation/ Growing America's Outdoor Heritage and Economy, is part of the President's America's Great Outdoors initiative to "establish a community-based, 21st-century agenda for conservation, recreation, and reconnecting Americans to the outdoors." The event brought together hundreds of hunters, anglers, farmers, ranchers, land conservationists, outdoor recreationists, small business owners, local government officials, and key stakeholders from around the country to meet with Obama and administration officials to discuss challenges and opportunities surrounding conservation in urban and rural areas.

The conference also capped the end of a week that saw a number of important announcements pertaining to federal conservation efforts. Some of these included
a) a program to use national parks and other public lands as 21st-century classrooms in order to connect young people to the outdoors and support experiential learning;
b ) a report finding that the National Park System contributed more than $31 billion to local economies and supported 258,000 jobs in 2010;
c) the creation of a new National Water Trails System, a network that will increase access to water-based outdoor recreation and promote community stewardship of local waterways; and
d) a commitment to conserve over 1 million acres of grasslands and wetlands by creating additional opportunities for private landowners to enroll land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

You can read more by checking out the White House's website.

What do you think of these efforts? Will they be effective or will too much red tape water down their impact? Are these the areas where we should be focusing or would you like to see an emphasis on addressing other challenges?]]> Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:50:00 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/172-white-house-commits-to-conservation/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/171-evaluating-shooting-destinations/ Beretta Trident Program is an important development you should know about. Just as you might take note of how many stars a restaurant has been awarded, Berretta recognizes shooting sports venues with Tridents.

The Trident Program was developed in 2010 by FSC affiliate Sporting Heritage Corp in collaboration with Beretta, and has already become the standard-bearer for evaluating shooting sports venues. Seeking to evaluate the full guest experience, the program considers everything from food on the table to the kennels for the bird dogs, and everything in between. Lest you start thinking that you should be booking your travels only to venues that receive three Tridents (the most any venue can receive), keep in mind that only the top 5% of destinations worldwide are considered good enough to merit even one Trident.

To learn more about the world-class quality experience offered by Beretta Trident-rated destinations, check out the 13 venues that are affiliates of the Beretta Trident Program by visiting the website www.BerettaTrident.com.]]> Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:19:26 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/171-evaluating-shooting-destinations/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/170-farmland-bubbles-myths-to-be-popped/
LORANDA GROUP: KEY FACTORS UNDERLYING 2012 FARMLAND PRICES, SALES

The best take away from this brief review is
"rapid increase in farmland values has been driven by profits and not speculation"

And as most everyone agrees they conclude that prices will start to level off. When do you think that will be? Only when commodities markets correct? That may be already happening as many posts are coming up that farm income for 2012 is already projected down from 2011. If you were the agriculture economist for the day what do you predict?]]> Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:24:34 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/170-farmland-bubbles-myths-to-be-popped/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/169-defining-falconry/
If you were to go ask passersby on the street for the definition, you would probably get a range of responses. Plus, that would be cheating.

So, allow us to provide you with some study materials. In this piece, the author, Tim Cahill, gives a humorous account of his efforts to discover falconry’s true definition. Indeed, in just a few short weeks, Cahill evolves from thinking of falconry as “that extinct medieval sport wherein guys in metal suits throw birds to fish” to a more enlightened view of the sport as “that flourishing contemporary field sport in which frenzied, monomaniacal men (and some frenzied monomaniacal women) soil their neighbor’s living rooms with bird droppings and run around naked in the snow.”

Really powerful stuff.

If you would like to read more about the author’s trials and tribulations in seeking this knowledge, as well as a number of his other insightful stories (we recommend the one about the outhouse built over a bat cave), you should pick up a copy of his book, Pecked to Death by Ducks. In the meantime, you can see a preview of the stories on Google Books.

To learn even more about falconry (or to start training to be a falconer yourself!), check out Duane Zobrist of The Falconry and Raptor Education Foundation.]]> Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:59:35 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/169-defining-falconry/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/168-ask-the-equestrian-architect/ Blackburn Architects:

Q: “How can you allow flexibility for future development (that may never occur) without constricting the initial plans too much?”

A: Building for flexibility has its limits and you need to at least have a rough idea about how things might change in the future so you can plan for it in a reasonable and cost-effective way. Too much flexibility could ultimately end up adding to your costs, especially if the future needs are never realized. Here’s a couple of examples.

Regarding a site plan, say you want to build a 12-stall barn now, but may add or increase it to total 24 stalls later. I would recommend building a 12-stall barn with all of the horse stalls to one end so that you can add the future stalls to the other end to produce a 24-stall barn. That way the barn services (tack room, feed room, wash stalls, lounge/office, bathrooms) are all located to the center, where they are most efficient for a 24-stall barn. At the same time, if the services are at one end of a 12-stall barn, it’s still efficient for daily use.

Another example may be the question of where to build a barn and an outdoor arena with the idea that you’d like to add an indoor arena at some point in the future. A master plan can really help you to determine a phased build out of your entire program over time. If you do it once and take the time to fully plan for your entire potential program, you can determine the best placement for each structure and identify potential pitfalls to your site, understanding what can work best for your needs. There is no easy or simple explanation in this instance, but a master plan will help you (literally) visualize your success now and into the future.


Q: “I live in an area where it rains a lot. What are the most effective drainage solutions? Where should run-off water go? What kind of drains are the safest?”

Make sure the barn is on high ground and that all grade around the barn drains away from the barn. Same with paddock gates and lead paths. You can create storm drainage swales that lead to bio-retention ponds or back into the ground without eroding the surface soils. Safe drains depend on where they are located and their size. I try to avoid any conditions where a horse can step into or off a ledge and suffer a foot or leg injury. Use French drains where necessary to drain water into the soil without creating surface conditions that become or create hazards. Good site planning is critical and is another area where an experienced equestrian architect can provide a valuable service that the inexperienced architect does not have (and you will rarely receive from the design build or prefab barn builder).]]> Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:46:43 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/168-ask-the-equestrian-architect/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/167-zillow/
If you use Zillow and it works for you then ignore this post. If you don't use Zillow you might take a moment to go and see how your listings appear on the website and then decide from there.

I sent an inquiry to Zillow to have our listing deleted from the site. Instead of a prompt customer service response instead all I started getting was a twice daily sales call. Our experience with Zillow for "vacant" land properties (no home whatsoever) is utterly and completely awful. Zillow only works for actual address properties and does not recognize generic corner descriptions and the mapping gets all jumbled up and they will map them all over the place usually in the wrong town and some cases the wrong state.

We receive calls from some of the most frustrated and annoyed buyers when one of our listings gets erroneously fed to Zillow because they are so exhausted by the time they finally find us after wading through links to agents that can't help them. We take great effort to keep our listings off Zillow because when you have a listing in an area - your contact information will rotate onto other listing pages and show up in a box that Zillow calls the "Contact a Buyers Agent" which implies that those agents would know about the listing. These boxes are never the same when you click on the listing. This is terrible because you have no control where your contact information is being placed. For example, ours rotated to a residential property in an area that we do not service. Zillow also makes it appear that you are the listing agent so we then in turn get calls from other agents asking to setup showings on listings that are not even ours.

I finally got a truthful reply today from Zillow and his exact words were.... "We don't want to sell advertising to land agents" My thought was that's great - wish you would have taken the whole 3 seconds to click on our website and find that out first before you called us incessantly and ignored our requests to delete listings. Once again we have asked for our listings to be deleted and we have also asked for our entire profile to be deleted. Some may disagree with that but in our experience not all sites are worth the effort.

If Zillow works for you and the leads are actually legitimate then my best wishes to you but if you sell land exclusively (no homes) then you may want to consider stopping your listing feeds to Zillow. Good luck.]]> Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:19:43 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/167-zillow/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/165-reclaiming-farmland/
Over the past 30 years, land development trends have been such that farmland has been lost to development at an ever-increasing rate. In fact, between 1982 and 2007 the US lost more than an acre of farmland every minute. When the housing bubble burst in 2008, that process was stopped. In many ways, the burst has been a tragedy with the millions of homeowners who faced foreclosure. However, one silver lining that has appeared has been the return of lands slated for development back to farmland.

Indeed, in the story we heard this morning, one farmer who sold his land to a developer for $80,000 an acre has since bought it back at a heavily discounted $18,500 an acre and has returned it to agricultural use. Further, more and more young farmers are entering the field by leasing lands and living on the profits they make from selling high-value commodities like cotton and hay. We encourage you to have a listen by clicking here.]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:25:54 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/165-reclaiming-farmland/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/145-chasing-rainbows-with-poison/
What follows is a letter to the editor in response to a recent article in Conservation Magazine titled, Chasing Rainbows by Anders Halverson. “Lured by a utopian vision of nature, fish and game agencies dropped billions of trout into thousands of lakes. Now, they’re determined to undo the damage they caused,” writes Halverson. The article which appeared recently is an adaptation from his recent book An Entirely Synthetic Fish: How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World, published by Yale University Press. Find photos and resources related to fish-stocking at http://andershalverson.com/

Dear Conservation Magazine,

We found it incredible that Anders Halverson’s detailed article, about rainbow trout introductions and the unintended consequences (Chasing Rainbows), never mentions the true tragedy of this ecological predicament: the rampant poisoning of entire ecosystems to rid them of planted rainbows.

The same flawed logic of single-species management used to plant the rainbows is now being used to remove rainbows, most often with a systemic poison, Rotenone. Poisoning out non-natives in favor of a preferred native is euphemistically called, native fish restoration. In fact, in many Western states today rainbows are being simultaneously stocked in some places and poisoned in others.

Unfortunately, Rotenone doesn’t discriminate between non-native fish and native fish. It doesn’t spare amphibians or insects. It kills them all and monitoring data show some species never return. Our company has long espoused the Hippocratic Oath of “first, do no harm” as it applies to ecological restoration. We need a strong web of organisms on this planet, not just rainbow trout, or cutthroat trout, or yellow-legged frogs.

Protecting and restoring healthy, functioning freshwater streams and wetlands to sustain a high diversity of organisms is a much more effective and economical way of conserving species. Given half the chance, nature will decide when and where to chase the rainbows.

Read more: http://www.conservationmagazine.org/2011/11/chasing-rainbows/ or learn more about river, stream and lake poisoning at http://www.stopriverkilling.org

[Note: You can check out the original post at THI's blog, http://troutheadwaters.com/clubecoblu/?p=2603.]]]> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:29:24 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/145-chasing-rainbows-with-poison/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/143-investing-in-conservation/
Those six words mark the beginning of the cover story of the most recent edition of The Land Report and do a pretty good job of summing up our own feelings toward investing in conservation. You see, investing in such practices as wildlife management, stream restoration, and recreational land use has a plethora of benefits to both people and the natural environment. These include higher biodiversity, improved water quality, and, of course, higher real estate values, to name just a few.

In this particular story, billionaire T. Boone Pickens tells of many of the conservation efforts he has incorporated into his land investment strategy over the years. As he puts it, “We always made a profit from the ranch sales. But what I feel really good about is knowing that we left the land in better shape than we found it.” Indeed, by incorporating wildlife management programs, Pickens was able to promote larger and healthier populations while also profiting off of the increased recreational values of the land.

Further, Pickens was also astute at determining the highest and best use for his and surrounding properties. For example, when a colossal reservoir was discovered beneath the surface of his land in Roberts County, Texas, he recognized that rather than using that water to support irrigation-intensive agricultural practices, he decided to sell the water credits to local urban centers and instead allow the land to lie fallow. In return, he not only profited off the sale of the water credits but also received tax benefits by placing his land into a conservation reserve program, and the land was allowed to return to pristine prairie.

You can read more about T. Boone Pickens and his conservation efforts by clicking here (begins on page 38). While you’re reading, make sure to check out the stunning photography by friend of Field Sport Concepts, Wyman Meinzer. And if you’d like a sample of our approach to investing in conservation, you can view a presentation given by FSC principal Bob McKee of McKee Carson by checking out this article from our most recent quarterly newsletter.]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:50:30 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/143-investing-in-conservation/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/142-predictions-for-2012-land-market/ article saying that farmland in the UK is set to outperform other assets in 2012 and got to thinking about the future of the land market in the U.S.

Have you come across any predictions, or perhaps you have your own crystal ball? Where will the hotspots be? Will developable land continue to be snatched back up by farmers? Or will that trend alter in favor of housing developers? Will land be purchased with the goal of developing it or farming it? Or will landowners allow their lands to lie fallow in exchange for generous tax credits?

We would love to hear your thoughts!]]> Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:01:51 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/142-predictions-for-2012-land-market/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/141-planned-communities-are-people-too/
[crickets chirping]

Okay, maybe the title wasn't supposed to be taken THAT literally. But, we did just come across an article in UrbanLand that discusses the future of planned community development as being driven by a focus on relationships rather than simply on amenities. Whereas the focus of traditional planned communities has been on golf courses, clubhouses, sports complexes, and the like, developers of newer communities are using clustered lot design, community space, and other strategies to promote greater connection among people and to the land itself. Indeed, as one developer put it, "We're not just stewards of the land; we're also stewards of people's lives."

Perhaps one of the most notable characteristics of future planned communities is they likely will not be characterized by "one size fits all" methods and features. Rather, a successful community will be designed around those features which are lacking in that particular area. In one area, that focus might be on hunting and fishing. In another, it might be on open space, like parks and hiking trails. And others may be based around other aspects of the sporting life. Whatever the theme, it probably won't be the same as the planned community in the next town over. In the meantime, we can leave the McMansions to the students.]]> Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:58:36 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/141-planned-communities-are-people-too/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/140-how-to-stress-test-your-land-purchase/
http://www.agweb.com/topproducer/article/the_farm_cpa_stress-test_your_land_purchase/]]> Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:40:04 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/140-how-to-stress-test-your-land-purchase/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/139-is-fair-trade-coffee-still-fair-if-it-comes-from-a-big-farm/
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/11/30/142935891/is-fair-trade-coffee-still-fair-if-it-comes-from-a-big-farm]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:45:02 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/139-is-fair-trade-coffee-still-fair-if-it-comes-from-a-big-farm/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/138-conservation-adaptive-reuse-and-environmental-education/
I wanted to let everyone know that we just released the latest edition of the Field Sport Concepts newsletter. In it, you'll find stories on some of our projects, our approach to the repurposing of golf courses, and our community outreach efforts.

Additionally, we included a short article on our search for regional representatives to better enable us to reach a broader clientele. If you think you might be interested, please do not hesitate to get in contact and we'll send you some more information.

If you'd like to check out our newsletter, you can find it here.]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:23:59 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/138-conservation-adaptive-reuse-and-environmental-education/ http://community.landthink.com/topic/137-securing-the-legacy/
http://vimeo.com/21464157]]> Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:28:48 +0000 http://community.landthink.com/topic/137-securing-the-legacy/