Pinon Canyon: A Closer Look

For more than a year I’ve been tracking the largest proposed seizure of private property by the federal government in modern history: the Battle for Pinon Canyon. It pits ranchers in southeast Colorado against an opponent that’s not used to losing ground wars: the U.S. Army. 

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“The Land Market Has Never Been Stronger”

So says Mac Boyd, a broker at Farmers National in Arcola, Illinois. Boyd is just one of the many veteran real estate professionals who are closely monitoring the strongest farmland market in decades. Read more

Uranium Contamination at Pinon Canyon?

First, the Army set off a firestorm when it announced its intention to use eminent domain to condemn 400,000 acres of family farms and ranches in order to triple the size of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site. Then lightning strikes ignited wildfires at Pinon Canyon that burned out of control on almost 50,000 acres on and off the range. Read more

Fire Fuels Pinon Canyon Debate

Lightning has struck twice. The Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site is front-page news yet again, only this time the focus of the controversy is not just eminent domain but wildfire. Read more

Eminent Domain Clouds Pinon Canyon

With more than 15 million acres of military bases, training centers, and maneuver sites, the US. Army ranks as one of Americas largest landowners. But when it comes to taking territory, shock and awe are not its most formidable weapons. As hundreds of ranchers in southern Colorado have learned, the big gun is eminent domain. Read more

The Best Job in America?

In a previous story at LandReport.com, we took a look at the value of hiring a competent ranch manager to oversee a larger piece of property. While competency is one key attribute, passion is another. Read on to see what I mean. Read more

Yellowstone NP halts bison slaughter

The number of bison in Yellowstone dropped by a staggering amount this winter. According to this CNN report, the population fell from more than 4,700 to just 2,300 since November. What’s causing the decline? Read inside for more. Read more

Max Baucus Out to Ax Timber Tax

Timber sales are typically taxed at the standard 15% capital gain rate. Yet timber companies typically pay the standard 35% corporate tax rate. This quirk in the tax law has led many timber companies including Plum Creek and Potlatch to restructure as real estate investment trusts (REITs), which enables them to take advantage of the lower 15% rate. Sen. Max Baucus wants to change that.
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Tom Brokaw

NBC’s Tom Brokaw shared the evening news with millions of Americans each and every night for decades as anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News. Since stepping down in 2004, he has kept a busy scheduling, writing books, pitching in on busy news nights, and producing documentaries for NBC. He’s also had ample opportunity to spend a lot more time on a beautiful piece of ranchland he owns in Montana. Click inside to listen in as Land Report Editor Eric O’Keefe interviews Tom Brokaw about life along the Madison River. Read more

Corn Drives Land Prices Higher and Higher

It’s official. The New York Times proclaimed in August that the market for Midwestern farmland was “hot,” a declaration akin to labeling Hurricane Katrina “dangerous” two weeks after it devastated the Gulf Coast. Anyone remotely familiar with the Corn Belt knows that rural land prices have skyrocketed for several years. Here’s a rundown of some recent figures. Read more

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