Land Report April 2012 Newsletter

Our April newsletter features more reports from the Federal Reserve on rising ag land values. The Seventh District, which is based out of Chicago and is home to a wide swath of the Midwest, saw a 22%  increase in land values last year. This spike corroborates activity seen in other ag-related markets, such as Hall & Hall’s successful auction of Oklahoma’s Waurika Farms for $11 million on April 12.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter. The Land Report is also on Pinterest.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

The Land Report Spring 2012

Enjoy the Spring issue of The Land Report!

Learn the stories of America’s Best Brokerages in our second annual survey. More than 70 are profiled from coast to coast. Read how Bernie Uechtritz pulled off 2011′s Deal of the Year by selling Camp Cooley Ranch in just 45 days. Find out why George Clooney has such strong ties to the land in the Academy Award-winning movie The Descendants.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter. Better yet, Land Report is now on Pinterest.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

Drought Conditions Plague Mexican Ranchers and Farmers

The largest supplier of imported cattle to the U.S. is enduring cataclysmic drought conditions. And they are only expected to intensify in 2012, according to Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry. Last year, Mexico exported 1.23 million head of cattle to the U.S. An estimated 60,000 head of livestock have already been reported dead in 2012. Not all producers register losses; actual numbers are expected to be higher. The lack of rainfall is also decimating Mexican farmers.

Read more here.

Land Report March 2012 Newsletter

The Spring issue of The Land Report has arrived!

Right now it’s en route to bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and subscribers’ offices around the world, but thanks to the miracles of modern technology you can read right now right HERE.

Learn the stories of America’s Best Brokerages in our second annual survey. More than 70 are profiled from coast to coast. Read how Bernie Uechtritz pulled off 2011′s Deal of the Year by selling Camp Cooley Ranch in just 45 days. Find out why George Clooney has such strong ties to the land in the Academy Award-winning movie The Descendants.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter. Better yet, Land Report is now on Pinterest.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

Sold! Cropland in Vermilion County, Illinois

Located in Vermilion County, Illinois, five tracks of productive cropland were successfully sold this month at an auction that attracted nearly 100 people.

Auctioned by Murray Wise Associates, LLC, Track 5 contained 181 acres of Elliott Ashkum soil and was sold to a local investor for $7,200 per acre. Tracks 1-4, totaling 200 acres of Drummer Flanagan soil, were sold prior to the auction to an out-of-state investor for $2.2 million dollars.

All five tracks, which had been part of an old family farm for years, have been used to grow corn and soybeans.

Land Report February 2012 Newsletter

More and more investors are turning to land. Not only is it a safe haven for their capital, but in many instances it can throw off steady revenue streams. The February edition of the Land Report newsletter showcases numerous properties with substantial income-generating potential.

Let’s start with Hudye Farm: almost 18,000 acres of dryland and irrigated farming along the Colorado-Kansas state line.

Add to this Montana’s Broken O Ranch, which features The Treasure State’s largest block of irrigated land as well as an impressive cow-calf operation and significant recreational income.

We also provide hyperlinks to eight other properties in The Land Report Top Ten, including several significant cattle operations with proven returns, including Hawaii’s Hana Ranch, Texas’s Rockpile Ranch, and Montana’s Dana Ranch.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

For Sale: Cropland in Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas

Spanning two states, Hudye Farm is the largest dryland and irrigated farm ever to be offered for sale in eastern Colorado and western Kansas.

Assembled over the past ten years, this ranch includes 17,741 acres of high quality farmlands with excellent production history, topography, soils and water conditions. Located in the top grain growing region of this area, the crops grown are primarily corn and wheat.

According to broker Bart Miller of Mason & Morse Ranch Company, this farm presents “a unique opportunity for somebody to come in—whether some local farmers or a large investor or two—to basically put themselves on the map with a 17,000-plus acre farm. Strong cash flow, strong tenants—it’s a great property.” Click here to hear a radio interview with Bart Miller about this amazing farm.*

The Hudye Farm is listed with Mason & Morse Ranch Company for $49 million. For more information, contact Bart Miller at (970) 928-7100.

*Interview provided by Brownfield Radio Network.

Ask the Expert: Dean Saunders

Eye on the Market: Dean Saunders has chaired the Florida Real Estate Commission, is certified as an Accredited Land Consultant (ALC), and was awarded the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation in 2010. The Land Report asked one of the country’s leading land brokers for his take on current market conditions.

You’ve got a long history on the land. You’re a sixth-generation Floridian with deep roots in agriculture. What keeps you going?
I love what I do. I love the people I work with. I love getting outside and looking at land. Every day I wake up, I can’t wait to get going. It’s fun, and I get paid to do it.

When you were in the Florida Legislature, you helped craft key conservation legislation. Can that work as an investment angle?
Definitely. I’ve got one client, a rancher, whose primary investment has been land over the last 15 years, he’s tripled his acreage by skillful use of conservation easements.

What’s the strategy?
He buys a piece of land for farming, hay, sod, and cattle. Then he sells a conservation easement. With the proceeds, he buys another piece of property and starts the whole process over again.

Who are your foreign investors?
It wasn’t too long ago that we had a bunch of Venezuelans trying to get their money out ahead of Chavez. Today’s market is primarily influenced by Canadians, Brits, some Germans, as well as South Americans.

Are they all about farmland?
Seems like everyone is, right? I’m a member of the realtors land institute, and a lot of my buddies in the Midwest and the Delta have seen land prices triple these past few years. A big part of that is commodity pricing, but there’s also the market. Investors are also looking for a safe haven for their money. You can’t earn anything from banks. The stock market is so volatile. But if you buy the right piece of land at the right price, you can generate a 5 percent return from cash rents. Rising commodity prices mean farmers can pay higher cash rents. This increases the value of the land. So people are buying farmland as fast as they can find it.

Land Report January 2012 Newsletter

Here’s a great way to start your year: the January edition of The Land Report newsletter.

This issue is chock full of stories and links to essential resources, including the Winter 2011 issue of The Land Report and of course January’s Land Report Top Ten.

As you might imagine, December wrapped up with a slew of end-of-the-year closings, and several key ones are detailed in the January newsletter, including the sale of Montana’s Horse Ranch and the sealed-bid auction of the Robert Mondavi Estate in Napa.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

Land Report Top 10: Ranch Dos Pueblos

Located in Santa Barbara, California, Ranch Dos Pueblos is one of the largest remaining ranches along the Gaviota Coast – stretching from the Santa Ynez Mountains down to a sandy beach on the Pacific Ocean.

At 2,175 acres, the ranch includes a lovely private sandy beach compound, which offers breathtaking views of passing ships, soaring gulls, frolicking dolphins, and the occasional spouts of migrating whales. The property also features abundant agriculture with numerous native and specimen plantings, trees, and orchards.

Surrounded by large ranches and the Los Padres National Forest, Ranch Dos Pueblos offers an array of recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, and fresh water recreation at nearby Lake Cachuma.

For sale for the first time in over 30 years, Ranch Dos Pueblos is listed with Kerry Mormann & Associates.

Click here to see the full list of Land Report’s Top Ten priciest properties.

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