Where Landowners Get Their News

Foreign ownership of American farmland has become a political flashpoint. If you live in a competitive political district, you may have seen commercials about ownership by a foreign entity – most likely China – trying to buy a farm or ranch in your state.

Sometimes, a traditional approach won't work when it's time to sell the land, especially for a truly unique piece of property. Of course, every property is unique. But it's fair to say that some properties are especially unique, right?

Knowing your neighbors helps, but knowing your neighbors’ data may help even more. Today, some of the most important forces affecting land values may have little to do with farming.

A two-state, 1,477.5-acre farm sale just closed for $22.45 million, and it wasn't luck. Geswein Farm & Land Realty's Johnny Klemme explains how branding an Illinois-Indiana portfolio as one regional event, pairing a hybrid live/online auction, and spotlighting decades of tenant stewardship drove nearly 800 bids and turned a multi-generational family farm into the sale everyone was watching.

Growing risk may be outweighing previous abuse, Dustin Carlson, President of SRA 831(b) Admin, believes as people weigh potential benefits of micro-captive insurance plans for small and mid-sized businesses.

Sure, Lou Jewell could be sitting on a beach. Others his age, 77, may be doing that or wishing that they could. Jewell doesn't. He is in his fourth decade as a rural North Carolina land broker, and he is committed to helping others learn the land business.