The Land Podcast – The Pursuit of Land Ownership and Investing

Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals. On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Connor Lokar. We discuss: - Connor sizes up the economy as "three yards and a cloud of dust," with industrial production at a 4.5-year high. - Connor explains why new homes, autos, and boats and RVs are struggling with rates and a glut of used COVID inventory. - Connor expects to see a mortgage rate starting with an 8 or 9 before one that starts with a 4 or 5. - Connor explains why a Fed rate cut can lower prime for land loans while mortgage rates climb with the 10-year. - Connor blames government debt and money printing for what land, mortgages and credit cards cost today. - Connor tells younger buyers that cash beyond three months of expenses "should be poison" with inflation where it is. - Connor recommends a one-to-two-year farm emergency fund and agreeing on an exit line with your spouse ahead of time. - Connor says carrying land debt is fine, but not stacked on an 84-month truck loan and a home equity line. - Connor lays out ITR's call for a five-year "great depression" from about 2030 to 2035, with stocks down 40-45%. - Connor explains how data centers turned a client's $40 million warehouse into a $60 million one in 24 months. And so much more! Chapters: 0:00 An economist's odds on a 2030s Great Depression 0:53 How's the economy right now? 3:03 Where the economy is weak: housing, autos, boats and RVs 8:59 Where interest rates are headed next 13:43 Prime vs. mortgage rates, explained 21:15 Is now a good time to buy land? 29:42 The farm economy and future land supply 35:13 What could trigger a big drop in land values 38:20 Farm emergency funds and land as an inflation hedge 43:36 Carrying debt on land, and the '80s farm crisis 49:05 ITR's forecast for a 2030s Great Depression 55:00 Data centers and the cost of building 1:00:30 How likely is it, and where to follow Connor Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! - Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding  -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_  -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt  -Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow  - Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/  - Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com  - Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net

Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals. On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Ryan Kirby. We discuss: - Ryan explains why the North Carolina mountains grow Fraser fir Christmas trees and cattle, not row crops. - Ryan breaks down his Christmas tree sharecropping deal: he pays for land and inputs, the grower supplies labor. - Ryan has 27,000 trees on 20 acres, bought as $1.40 seedlings, with wholesale at $50 a tree this year. - Ryan figures the harvest pays off the $300,000 he paid for a 34-acre mountain hayfield and leaves $150,000. - Ryan explains why Christmas trees carry more risk than corn: no futures market, no storage, and an 8-year wait. - Ryan saves his input deductions for the harvest year so one big check doesn't become a huge tax bill. - Ryan recalls buying his first Hancock County 40 sight unseen for $117,000 and telling his wife at bath time. - Ryan explains why running a farm 40 minutes from his parents' place pushed him to buy ground a mile away. - Ryan used a 120-day close from the loggers who won an auction to 1031 his 40, which sold in a week for about $296,000. - Ryan shares Terry Drury's advice to never get emotional about a piece of land. And so much more! Chapters: 0:00 He bought his first farm sight unseen 0:53 Fall art season and coaching youth football 7:55 Why North Carolina grows Christmas trees 11:43 Penciling out 27,000 trees on 20 acres 21:50 Is the Christmas tree math too good to be true? 26:09 No futures market and no storing the crop 32:16 Buying his first Illinois farm sight unseen 36:49 How the first farm got his wife on board 40:12 Why the first farm got too far away 44:58 The auction he walked away from 50:45 Mennonite loggers, flip phones and the timber he missed 56:07 Terry Drury's advice: don't get emotional about land 1:00:23 Where to find Ryan Kirby Art Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! - Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding  -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_  -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt  -Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow  - Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/  - Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at [www.theprairiefarm.com](https://www.theprairiefarm.com) - Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net 

Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals. On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Steve Hanson. We discuss: - Steve explains why he stepped away from outfitting and wanted to spend more time hunting again. - Steve describes how Iowa's nonresident draw and public-land camera rules shape hunting access. - Steve says premium Iowa hunting farms still command strong prices while average farms have plateaued. - Steve weighs access, wind, food, and neighboring buyers when evaluating a hunting property. - Steve recalls buying a $430-per-acre farm after passing on a $350-per-acre strip mine. - Steve explains why records matter when a chain of 1031 exchanges is eventually unwound. - Steve considers why higher rates and thin cash flow make land purchases harder to justify. - Steve connects Iowa's nitrate concerns, corn production, and stream buffers to land values. - Steve shares Iowa's right-hand fence rule and a 16.5-foot strip missing from a farm title. - Steve favors one $1 million farm over four smaller ones, despite attention from neighbors and drones. And so much more! Chapters: 0:00 One big farm or four smaller farms? 2:30 Why Steve stepped away from outfitting 7:34 Public-land trail cameras and hunting pressure 10:50 What premium Iowa hunting farms are worth 15:18 Steve's first farm and finding value 19:35 Tracking 1031 exchanges and tax basis 25:27 Can hunting land ever pencil out? 29:53 Iowa water quality and farmland values 36:22 How interest rates affect land deals 38:26 Fence law and hidden title problems 47:03 The big-farm tradeoff: control versus attention 50:28 Turning $100,000 into land equity Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! - Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow - Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/ - Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at [www.theprairiefarm.com](https://www.theprairiefarm.com) - Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net

Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals. On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Caleb Richardson. We discuss: Caleb’s $3,500 Kentucky tax lien on more than 80 acres of mature white oak. Why a lawyer’s bad guidance led to a trespassing warrant and years of legal fallout. Using 1099 CRNA income to build flexibility, increase earnings, and buy land. The Alabama ag-bank program that helped him finance his first farm with 15% down. Why five years of walking properties gave Caleb confidence to move fast when it mattered. His tactic of offering on the 50 acres he did not want to find the seller’s real floor. Buying 100 acres below list, then transforming it with roads, firebreaks, and fire. How a prescribed fire brought every local department out—and improved the property. Using trail-camera proof to show buyers exactly why his farm had become a deer mecca. Why he is buying Kentucky ground hit hard by EHD instead of waiting for perfect conditions. And so much more! Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/ Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net Chapters:0:00 The $3,500 Tax-Lien Warrant1:00 Meet Caleb Richardson6:53 Five Years Searching for the Right Farm11:04 Going 1099 to Fund Land Purchases18:08 The Kentucky Tax-Lien Nightmare33:39 Buying and Negotiating His First 100 Acres45:43 Transforming a Clear-Cut Into a Deer Mecca53:42 The Sight-Unseen Kentucky Farm58:34 Acting With Conviction and the 640-Acre Goal

Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals. On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Bryan Tanner. We discuss: - Bryan explains the six-times rule of thumb he used to price pipeline right-of-way offers in oil and gas. - Bryan buys a 20-acre owner-financed Montana parcel six months before the Yellowstone boom hits. - Bryan says his 5- to 50-acre tracts routinely double or quadruple in value over two to three years. - Bryan knows a trend has peaked when lower-third parcels start selling at full market value. - Bryan makes the case for 8- to 10-acre tracts that consistently kill big bucks in Buffalo County. - Bryan's client allowed zero hunting on 700 Ohio acres and had no deer over 155 inches four years later. - Bryan's investors make $143,000 in three weeks on a 110-acre farm that sat unsold for a year and a half. - Bryan values a central Ohio farm listed at $6,000 an acre closer to $2,500 for a deer hunter. - Bryan builds a 40-foot wildlife crossing over a drain after deer start using his access culvert. - Bryan admits he passed on deals for years out of analysis paralysis and was wrong every time. And so much more! Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! - Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow - Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/ - Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com - Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at [www.theprairiefarm.com](https://www.theprairiefarm.com) - Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:57 Meet Bryan Tanner 2:22 21 Years In Oil And Gas Land Work 5:17 How Eminent Domain Really Works 8:02 Why Companies Won't Just Pay 20X 12:33 The Six-Times Rule For Right-Of-Way Offers 16:43 Why He Buys Small Tracts 17:22 Buying Montana Before Yellowstone Took Off 23:20 How He Knows When To Sell 25:14 Finding The Next Buffalo County 30:55 Big Bucks On 20 Acres In Western Illinois 32:20 Hunting A Small Tract Next To An Outfitter 35:02 EHD And The Coming Shift In Herd Management 39:25 Where The Deals Are Right Now 41:42 Biggest Mistakes Land Buyers Make 45:30 Be Careful About Market Value 47:06 Flipping 110 Acres In Three Weeks 51:37 Cheap Improvements That Sell A Farm 56:31 Building A Wildlife Crossing Over A Culvert 59:01 Advice To His Younger Self 1:01:09 Where To Find Bryan

Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals. On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Sean Asada. We discuss: - Why August in Iowa runs as slow as January, and why sellers read it as something worse - February and March as the window for recreational ground, and April for acreages - Sean's case that now through November 1 is a strong time to list hunting land - The 60% rule: gather most of the information, decide, and accept you'll never get the rest - Buying a farm after fifty yards out of the truck, and how many reps that actually takes - The buddy who texted that some idiot just paid $6,300 an acre for crap cattle ground - Why three neighbors at 1,800 acres matter more than the dirt you are actually buying - The property Sean let slide over $2,250 an acre and the $68,000 it cost him - The argument against shooting a deer on the farm you just bought - Food plots are ROI, bedding is stewardship, and why most owners overrate their own farm And so much more! Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:04 Who Sean Asada is, and selling two Iowa's at once 3:04 Why August is as slow as January 8:11 Gut-feel buyers vs the forty-step checklist 15:37 Land against the stock market 21:21 The $2,250 an acre he let slide 31:06 You don't have to shoot something 41:56 Food plots for ROI, bedding for stewardship 47:45 When the trail cam history is lackluster 58:23 Base hits, black swans, and a bet on the Fed 62:55 Where to find Sean Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! - Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt -Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow - Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/ - Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com - Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at [www.theprairiefarm.com](https://www.theprairiefarm.com) - Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net

Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals. On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Michael Engelmeyer. We discuss: - Michael buys his first 80 acres as a tax play and leases it back to his own photography studio. - He "liberates" an underground spring with a bulldozer and has four gobblers on the dam by sunrise. - Michael doubles his money in three years, going from $1,400 an acre to $3,000 an acre. - He sells the farm himself with a full-page newspaper ad built from his own trail camera photos. - Michael skips the 1031 exchange on purpose, pays the capital gains, and invests the proceeds. - He explains how a 90-day 1031 clock pushes buyers into farms they never should have bought. - Michael walks away from a 3,400-acre Ozarks ranch over $200 an acre and gets it a year later. - The sellers refuse $1,500 an acre at auction, then call him back and take $1,100. - He argues square and rectangular parcels hunt better than odd-shaped ground at any price. - Michael's due diligence starts with a drone and a call to the sheriff about meth in the area. And so much more! Chapters: 0:00 The 1031 Everyone Does, and Why He Didn't 0:58 Meet Michael Engelmeyer, Great Outdoor Studios 1:31 From St. Louis Fashion Shoots to the Outdoor Industry 4:27 Why He Bought Land in the First Place 5:13 The 80 Acres Between Two Big Tracts 6:19 Trading Hunting Rights for Construction Equipment 7:19 "Liberating" a Spring to Build a Pond 9:55 Four Gobblers on the Dam at Sunrise 10:58 Leasing the Farm Back to His Own Business 13:17 Doubling His Money in Three Years 17:40 The Neighbors Lowballed Him 19:36 Selling It Himself With a Full-Page Print Ad 22:39 $1,400 an Acre In, $3,000 an Acre Out 23:36 Why He Skipped the 1031 Exchange 27:20 Square or Rectangle: The Property Shape Rule 31:56 Finding the 6,000-Acre Ozarks Ranch 36:15 The Auction and the No-Sale 39:52 The Call a Year Later: Bought at $1,100 44:09 Treat Your Twenties Like Boot Camp 46:55 His Punch List: Drones, Aerials, and the Sheriff 51:04 Keep the Farm Within an Hour of Home 52:34 If He Started Over With $100,000 54:29 Why He'd Never Buy Land With a Partner 57:16 Patience, and Why Land Keeps Going Up 59:26 Where to Follow Michael Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! - Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding  -Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_  -OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt  -Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow  - Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/  - Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com  - Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net 

Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals. On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Leo Spoto. We discuss: How Leo went from a Bronx apartment to owning 245 acres of Iowa timber and creek bottom. Why buying 100 acres near Albia at $1,850 an acre felt like overpaying back in 2013. The expired driver's license that stranded Leo at the Des Moines airport before his first showing. Why Chase Bank wouldn't touch a land loan and a local Iowa banker wrote it anyway. How Leo closed on his first farm with $30,000 down when the bank wanted closer to $40,000. The 1031 exchange that rolled two small farms into one 214-acre piece he bought sight unseen. How walnut timber checks and an Iowa operating account carried a $2,600 monthly payment. Why Leo would now rather buy a landlocked 30 with an easement than a farm with road frontage. The roughly 250% return Leo has seen on Iowa ground since his first purchase in 2013. Why point creep and four kids finally pushed Leo to list the entire farm this year. And so much more! Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/ Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net

Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals. On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Mike Cantrall. We discuss: Why two years of house-loan rejections came down to being newly self-employed and a DTI formula. How Mike found a lender who looks at the whole financial picture instead of a W-2. The Roth IRA withdrawal that covered his down payment when income alone wouldn't get him approved. Going self-employed with no college degree, no plan, and two deer dropped off at a friend's shop. Why the pressure of working for yourself is what finally forced him to figure out land ownership. How he got pre-approved first, and had a landowner call him about 40 acres the very next day. Buying, improving, and selling his first farm inside four months — and why he skipped the 1031. Why he walked away from a 500-acre lease that cost about what a farm payment does. What a permanent CREP easement restricts, plus the DNR visit that comes with owning one. Why two used car payments a month is roughly the cost of a small farm. And so much more! Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:00 Starting a Taxidermy Business 04:19 Financing Land While Self-Employed 10:46 Mindset for Land Ownership 13:56 First Farm Purchase Strategy 17:40 Leasing Versus Owning Land 22:25 Rapid Farm Transactions 30:31 1031 Exchange Lessons 34:43 Reflections and Lessons Learned 41:26 Future Plans and CREP 50:37 The Home Building Challenge 53:05 Final Advice and Outro Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/ Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net

Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals. On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Joe Chambers. We discuss: How Joe moved to Nebraska in 2007 after a divorce and built Chambers Custom into a high-end pistol shop. Why you're not a member of a Midwest community until you buy ground — ten years, zero wedding invites. How a farmer neighbor's phone call and a passed first-right-of-refusal got Joe his first 21 acres in 2015. Why seven years of living on cash left Joe with no credit score at all and nearly killed his first farm loan. The bank that wouldn't write a $6,000 car loan but offered a $20,000 unsecured credit card instead. How a 23-year-old small-town loan officer named Toby became Joe's fifteen-year lending partner. The county records website that exposed a neighbor's 99-year windmill lease days before an auction. Why Joe bought a 246-acre farm with no access that had been overgrazed and mined for sixty years. The first line of Don Higgins' plan that read "I'm 90% sure Joe will not follow this" — and what happened. How Joe went from 80 deer with 75 does to a 201 and 1/8 inch buck in three seasons. And so much more! Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them! Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_ OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/ Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net