No. 34 Collins Family 311,395 acres Truman “T.D.” Collins (1831–1914) found his calling as a tree man before the Civil War and ultimately became the largest private landowner in Pennsylvania. Property in the Allegheny Mountains accounts for about one-third of…
Congress considers eliminating key landowner tax tool. Grover Norquist is bullish on the prospects for passage of tax reform legislation this year. However, the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform is sounding an alarm on the potential repeal…
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that wildfires burned a record 10,125,149 acres across the United States last year. The 2015 total eclipsed the previous record, which was set in 2006. Of last year’s blazes, more than 50 exceeded 50,000 acres,…
The Department of Agriculture is projecting that 2015 will mark another down year for American farmers and ranchers with agricultural sector production projected to fall 9.2 percent to $427 billion. Contributing factors include increased global competition and a slowdown in…
The United States Department of the Interior along with the Department of Justice have agreed to a proposed $940 million settlement to resolve a quarter-century-old legal dispute with Native American tribes. At issue: costs for programs the federal government mandated…
LandVest www.landvest.com (617) 723-1800 2014 Sales: > $500 Million Who: “LandVest’s brokerage business manages the disposition, planning, and marketing of investment-grade timberland properties on behalf (and to) institutional investors and high-net-worth families. We specialize in the largest and most complex…
Institutional investors back privately held REIT. San Antonio-based US Farm Trust announced on Aug. 13 that it has closed on over $300 million in commitments from institutional investors. The real estate investment trust (REIT) was established to acquire and manage…
AFM Land Sales www.afmlandsales.com (704) 527-6780 2014 Sales: > $500 Million Who: Providing brokerage and expert acquisition analysis of timberland, recreational farmland, hunting plantations, and conservation properties. Wow: A $78 million sale that included properties in the Pacific Northwest and…
Each year an average of 57,900 job openings are created in agriculture and renewable natural resources, yet only 35,400 college degrees in agricultural-related fields are awarded in the U.S. This leaves a shortfall of 22,500 positions. According to the USDA,…
The Economist is reporting that broad demographic trends are driving more and more investors, including sovereign funds, to consider investments related to ag land and increased productivity. “Institutional investors such as pension funds see farmland as fertile ground to plough,…
