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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. It's 'Mapping, Mapping, Mapping'
2. Try It: Blogging Is Here
3. Thorny Farm Bill Passed Over Veto
4. Timber: Demand, Weyerhaeuser Drooping
5. Counties: Charlevoix & Emmet counties, MI
6. No Water? Try Dry Farming
7. Land-Use Profile: Vineyard
8. Loans Ease, Sales Mixed, Prices Lower
9. Recent Properties
Location - and thus, mapping - really is everything. We love our Advanced interactive mapping, and so will you.
You may have noticed the thumbnail of a map on our homepage; that's the gateway to our nifty new interactive mapping feature. And we keep adding features to it, so continue to try it. These include grouping showing neighboring properties, county centers and, even, unmapped properties (e.g. properties with a solid address or good latitude/longitude information). You may have to back out to about the middle zoom-setting before you see property markers, but keep playing with zoom until you see them.
It's important to note that, although we do allow you see properties that are, technically, unmapped, we encourage all sellers to provide either an address or a latitude/longitude designation (edit your listing and look for the link to input this information). If location is everything, then mapping your listing is critical to sales success. Please correctly map your property - it will make your listing really sing, and prospective buyers want to sing along with you!
Blogging is here at LandAndFarm.com!
You can create a blog, .e.g a thread of commentary for your listing. And, you can do this right now. It's a great way to create community around your listings, to broadcast any responses to common questions buyers are having about your properties and manage interest, while bringing your listings to life. To create and access your blog, sign in to your account and look for the " create blog." Try it today; we're still testing some pieces of it - so let us know about your experience using this latest feature.
Agriculture is being debated by everyone these days, from environmentalists to organic farmers to Big Ag. One fight ended this month when the U.S. Congress overrode President Bush' veto of the $300 billion Farm Bill; critics say the bill - which one calls a "bloat-fest" - continues subsidies for wealthy farmers, while proponents note the bill includes fruits and veggies never before part of the bill. The Conservation Reserve Program is also strengthened, as well.
The bill includes a number of significant reforms, say supporters: the new market-oriented revenue protection program that represents a fundamental reform in how subsidies operate; a significant new specialty crops title providing more funding for fruits and vegetables which have been left out of farm bills in the past; major improvements and increased funding for conservation to improve our environment; historic program changes and increased funding for nutrition to address hunger in America; and an unprecedented expansion of programs to promote healthy and local foods.
Opponents note reforms in eligibility for subsidy programs did not go far enough - still too many wealthy farmers and landowners will receive government support, they note. The new Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program may correct this, bill fans assert; it's estimated as many as 100 million acres of corn, soy beans and wheat - roughly 30 percent of all cultivated acres in the nation - may sign up for the new program because it provides better protection for farmers than current programs, paying farmers when they face real revs loss: it reduces market distortions, cuts direct payments by 20 percent, cuts loan deficiency payment rates by 30 percent, and frees up hundreds of millions of dollars for other priorities such as nutrition and conservation.
Stay tuned...
Even with tax breaks in the latest Farm Bill for companies like Weyerhaeuser Co., the company remains troubled: prices keep falling on timber, with the possible exception of pulpwood, and unlike some companies that have placed their timber in Real Estate Investment Trusts, Weyerhaeuser continues to own millions of acres of trees. Possible restructuring would force the firm to sell loads of timberland. Besides the timberland, the company still owns 28 softwood lumber mills, five pulp mills, and a real estate division in 10 states. Also owned: 1.1 million acres WA, a similar amount in OR and 6.4 million acres across the South; large amounts of land are owned in Canada and South America.
Meanwhile, industry watchers say that although worldwide prices for timber, pulpwood and paper are rising, profit margins on timber are falling, and U.S. housing demand for timber has dropped along with starts and real estate prices. They say the low dollar, quotas and tariffs and emerging market growth - along with a crackdown on illegal logging in the developing areas - is also contributing to the situation. Demand is hurting Southeast Texas timber owners, who are already suffering from a 21.8 million acre, half-billion dollar loss from Hurricane Rita. Watchers say profits can only go up once the housing industry re-starts and renovations pick-up. Still, USDA says timber prices will climb over the next four decades, and consumption will have increased 38 percent by mid-century.
Prized for their Great Lakes waterfront, these far northern Wolverine State counties are boating, fishing and retirement havens for those who want chilly nights and freshwater fish with their vacations. Maybe that's why young Ernest Hemingway's family vacationed for many years in the late 19th and early 20th centuries on Walloon Lake, a peaceful, placid body of water just a few wood miles east of giant Lake Michigan.
Charlevoix is a gateway to Beaver Island, the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of an archipelago, some of which is publicly-protected. With over 26,000 people in nearly 1,400 square miles, there's plenty of room to roam among the coastal county's small ponds and lakes, its u-pick'em fruit groves of apple, cherry, peaches and apricots. The eponymous county seat perches between lakes Michigan and Charlevoix, an estuary that empties into its larger cousin. Meanwhile, Emmet anchors the northernmost part of lower Michigan with 68 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline; about two-thirds of the county's roughly 300,000 acres are forested. And well-known parks call the county home, including Colonial Michillimackinac State Park. Petoskey, the county seat, is a vibrant small city surrounded by woods and farmland characteristic of this area.
Lots of varying sizes - with many in the 10-50 acre range are for sale in both counties: a 25-acre Inwood Township parcel with a creek running through it in Charlevoix is awaiting a getaway cabin. A 131-acre parcel of woods and fields which could be hayed in East Jordan. A 1-acre lot in the Birchwood Farms Golf & Country Club is looking for putters in Emmet County, while a very large hunting property in Pellston offers 3,000-acres of game and adventure.
Some California vintners are returning to virtually un-irrigated grape-growing as water supplies dwindle and the intense tastes from grapes grown that way become more fashionable and demanded. Old zinfandel vines at Kunde Estate in Sonoma County get water from rain, dew, and a deep root system.
It's called " dry farming," which is what agriculture here used to engage in, before hoses, pumps and irrigation changed semi-arid valleys into lush gardens. At the 600-acre Kunde Estate, about 100 acres are dry-farmed. Wine grapes are grown without artificial irrigation in parts of the world such as Spain and France, where some regions forbid irrigation, said Robert Wample, chair of the viticulture and enology at California State University, Fresno, according to an Associated Press report.
Dry farming in California is unusual, although there is a trend toward using less water, the report notes. "We're learning to be much more precise early in the growing season so we can control the vegetative growth, minimize the total water consumption, and follow that with good management practices," he said, adding, "It's an active form of preserving moisture in the ground so you don't need to irrigate."
It might be one of our smaller land-use categories, but it's also one of the most interesting. Vineyard land is typically land that is now in production for grapes, whether table or wine-grapes...or has been, or could be, used for such activities. Perhaps the most interesting thing about vineyard land is that - unlike most other categories - they are actually making more of it! Perhaps just as interesting, vineyard land exists in some capacity in a clear majority of states and many Canadian provinces.
How is this possible? Because vintners and others are continually pushing the boundaries of grape-growing, both technologically as well as agriculturally. A greater variety of wines have found markets in recent years, and hardier grapes are being developed and tested all the time. That means grape-growing and vineyards have pushed into higher elevations, more northern areas, and in some cases, drier areas, too. Also, official wine-making appellations (called AVAs, or American Viticultural Area) have expanded in recent years and more have been added to the list - that provides a kind of unofficial seal of approval once enough wine-grapes are being grown for actual bottling, in a given region.
Existing-home sales slowed in April, partly because restrictive lending practices hampered home buyers. At the same time, a greater number of areas are showing sales gains from a year ago and a recent reversal in mortgage policy means the market is better positioned for a turnaround, according to the National Association of Realtors. NAR said that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae announced that they were eliminating their declining market policies, effective June 1. And, a recent notable drop in interest rates on conforming jumbo loans will help consumers in high-cost markets like California and New York, the NAR added. The unusual mix of market conditions around the country continues, but areas showing healthy price gains include Greenville, S.C., and Springfield, Mo., both with solid local economies. The NAR said hard-hit markets like San Diego and Ft. Myers, FL are seeing rising sales. Nationally, the media home price declined eight percent to $202,300.
| |  | Pears to Pinot: CA Farm Tracks Trends by LandAndFarm.com Staff
The agricultural history of California is written across the hills and dales of El Dorado County's Apple Hill region: First it was timber that made the fortunes of settlers. Then, the region's cool winters and nights made for perfect apple and pear-growing. Now, wine-grapes are grown in this area about 3,000 feet above sea-level in the Sierra Nevada Mountain foothills, near Placerville (pronounced Plah-sir-vill).
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Sample of Recent Properties
Secluded Retreat (pasture) 80 acres.
Georgia
Historic Wilkes County Home (historic) 45 acres.
Washington, Georgia
Great Ft Lupton Horse Property (horse farm) 10 acres.
Fort Lupton, Colorado
19.1 Acres Horse Farm For Sale (horse farm) 19 acres.
Bridgeton, New Jersey
Outdoor Paradise (forest - planted) 342 acres.
Georgia
72 Ac In Bradford County (forest - planted) 72 acres.
Lawtey, Florida
31.5 Ac SW Of Lawtey Florida (forest - planted) 32 acres.
Lawtey, Florida
Hunting And Timberland (forest - planted) 700 acres.
Hurricane Mills, Tennessee
Serious Investment Property (residential land) 274 acres.
Pontotoc, Mississippi
49.1 Acres In The Hill Country (ranch) 49 acres.
Hunt, Texas
Acreage Waterfront Hunting (waterfront) 298 acres.
Burkesville, Kentucky
28 Acre Farm Beautiful Home (horse farm) 28 acres.
Ringgold, Georgia
120.2 Acres On Quiet Dd/End Rd. (recreational property) 120 acres.
Greenville, Kentucky
Florida Gulf Coast Acreage (residential land) 3 acres.
Northport / Englewood, Florida
44 Acres North Of Starke (forest - natural) 44 acres.
Lawtey, Florida
38 Ac In Newberry (residential land) 38 acres.
Newberry, Florida
Land Auction 85 Acres
Dover, Delaware
Log Home with 138 Ac of Forest (recreational property) 138 acres.
Quebec, Canada
Own A Retail Business In Tn. (commercial land)
Watertown, Tennessee
5 Ac Woods Asphalt Utilities (horse farm) 5 acres.
Willing, New York
75 Acre Hunting Recreational (recreational property) 75 acres.
HINSDALE, New York
Woods creek utilitiies (recreational property) 5 acres.
Allen, New York
468 Beautiful Acres - Bowling Green, KY (hunting property) 468 acres.
Bowling Green, Kentucky
One Of A Kind Tn Farm (hunting property) 139 acres.
Lafayette, Tennessee
Country Living At It''s Best (residential land) 150 acres.
New Canton, Virginia
9 Bedroom11 Bath Estate (horse farm) 14 acres.
Kentucky
Hunter''s Paradise 66 Acres (hunting property) 66 acres.
Kingston, Michigan
176 Acres Bowling Green Ky (hunting property) 176 acres.
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Rocky Ford Road (residential land) 20 acres.
Coolidge, Georgia
90 ACRES IN SKYLINE (horse farm) 90 acres.
Skyline, Alabama
Country Acreage (recreational property) 35 acres.
West Schuyler, New York
637 AC HUNT/FARM/LIVE (recreational property) 637 acres.
PAINT ROCK, Alabama
13+/- Ac. Hwy. 501 (residential land) 13 acres.
Rowland, North Carolina
25.5 Acre Parcel In Winton (commercial land) 26 acres.
Winton, Washington
Beautiful 320 Acre Get Away (forest - natural) 320 acres.
Cashmere, Washington
240 Ac Water Rights (row crops) 240 acres.
Mt Hope, Kansas
Hunting Land (hunting property) 5 acres.
Sidney, New York
Hunting Property By Peshastin (forest - natural) 80 acres.
Peshastin, Washington
Cotton And Rice Farm (row crops) 8,607 acres.
Lake Providence LA, Louisiana
YMCA Camp In Upstate NY (recreational property) 100 acres.
Laurens, New York
Ardenvoir Recreational Prop. (forest - natural) 480 acres.
Ardenvoir, Washington
North Ardenvoir Hunting Land (forest - natural) 157 acres.
Ardenvoir, Washington
Incredible Opportunity (residential land) 19 acres.
Sevierville, Tennessee
Big Hunting Land In Ardenvoir (forest - natural) 640 acres.
Ardenvoir, Washington
Two 80 Acre Pieces In Okanogan (forest - natural) 160 acres.
Washington
Two 240 Acre Pieces In Okanogan (hunting property) 680 acres.
Washington
Comml/Residential Development (commercial land) 240 acres.
Vinita, Oklahoma
200 Acres (hunting property) 200 acres.
Missouri
Antique Co op Biz Very Cool
Fulton, New York
KS - Barber 330 Acs Hunting (hunting property) 330 acres.
Kansas
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