Investments

Agricultural 2022 Ecomonic Outlook

The agriculture sector of the U.S. economy appears poised for another strong year in 2022 amidst the backdrop of continued healthy overall economic growth. MetLife Investment Management (MIM) forecasts continued broad economic expansion, although there are lingering concerns regarding elevated inflation levels. Growth in spending on goods during the pandemic and sustained demand for food, fuel, and fiber have pushed agricultural commodity prices up and raised net farm incomes to levels not seen since 2013. Even if interest rates move from historic lows next year in response to elevated inflation, we believe the strong Ag economy is likely to persist, …

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Yes you can buy farmland with your ira

by Mike Downey https://www.farmprogress.com/commentary/yes-you-can-buy-farmland-your-ira Most people I work with own farmland, and many of them also own some type of retirement IRA. In transition planning, there is also a financial component to review what the income sources are during retirement. There is no doubt retirement funds invested in the stock market have performed very well over the last decade. However, as retirement nears the mindset about the stock market often changes and causes some to question whether there are other investment alternatives available for their funds. ‘I wish I could buy a farm with my IRA’This is a common expression …

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Clift Land Brokers Donates to Area Schools

George Clift, ALC, owner of Clift Land Brokers, and Gary Sutherland, Associate Broker of Pampa, were in the area on Friday handing out checks to Miami and Canadian schools.  Several months ago, Clift Land Brokers was hired by Salem Abraham to sell the 12,160 acre Christie Ranch in Roberts County. Earlier this month, that ranch was sold to Travis and Kylee Chester. “George and Gary did a great job selling the ranch” commented Salem Abraham, “and I think we all had fun working together.” George Clift said, ”After closing the ranch deal, Gary and I wanted to do something to …

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2018 USDA Land Value Report

Agricultural Land Values Highlights The United States farm real estate value, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms, averaged $3,140 per acre for 2018, up $60 per acre (1.9 percent) from 2017 values. Regional changes in the average value of farm real estate ranged from an 8.3 percent increase in the Southern Plains region (includes Texas (9.1% increase) and Oklahoma (5.3% increase) to 1.4 percent decrease in the Northern Plains region. The highest farm real estate values were in the Corn Belt region at $6,430 per acre. The Mountain region had the lowest farm real …

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Land Transition Can Lead to Unintended Consequences

Land Transition Can Lead to Unintended Consequences by Allan Vyhnalek, University of Nebraska Extensions Grandpa and Grandma farmed. They retired. They had two irrigated quarters. They had two sons who had started farming operations themselves. So, their transition plan was to give a quarter to each of the sons at their passing. Grandpa passed away, followed by the Grandmother about a year or so later. The lawyer handling the estate was not given specific instructions about the transfer of the quarters. He just put number one and number two in a hat, the sons drew a number. Then there were …

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What the New Tax Law Means for Agriculture

New article May 16, 2018 by Farm Credit Bank of Texas (land.com) The largest overhaul of the U.S. tax code in three decades went into effect this year, impacting farmers, ranchers and other rural landowners in a variety of ways. For the most part, financial experts anticipate benefits for these groups. “The 2018 tax law changes include several items that I feel will be beneficial to agricultural producers,” says Burl Lowery, a Brownwood, Texas, certified public accountant and director of Central Texas Farm Credit. “The increase in the exemption in estate and generation-skipping taxes to $11.2 million in 2018 will …

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Investing in Land for Retirement

March 8, 2018 Realtors Land Institute Choosing how to save for retirement can be a decision that takes years. After all, that’s the money that you’ll be living on during your golden years. Most people stick to 401ks and stocks, but what many people don’t know is that you can invest in land real estate to save for retirement. Investing in land real estate can be a great way to save money long-term, but with any investment, you need to know what type of land to invest in, what sort of returns you can expect, and what to avoid when …

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Breaking Down Mineral Rights

March 14, 2018, Realtor Land Institute Post Mineral rights are so complex that most of the time, people would instead hire a lawyer to deal with them. The bad news is, there is a lot of truth in that statement. Mineral rights can be tied up in tricky deeds going back generations. The good news? We’ve collected the most commonly asked questions about mineral rights to help you get a better understanding of one of the most complex issues in the land industry. READ POST

Thoughts on Interest Rates and Land Sales

by Stephen Donnell, SR VP Lending, Plains Land Bank, Amarillo, TX Interest rates have been about as volatile as the commodity markets in recent months. Our long term interest rates have moved up and down over three-tenths of a percent since March. Some months, it appears the Fed’s increase in short term rates is pushing long term rates higher, only to see those rates fall back the next month. Very hard to predict. We have had a number of customers recently locking in some long term money to hedge against rising interest rates. That appears to be a sound strategy, especially …

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Never Buy Land Without an ALC

Never Buy Land Without an ALC…. 4 reasons from an article on Land.com written by Luke Worrell, ALC This article outlines 4 of the reasons you should never buy land without an ALC (Accredited Land Consultant)…..Trust….Skill….Knowledge…Connections. “When it comes to selling land, I am absolutely convinced that ALCs are the best in the business.  For starters, you can only become a designated ALC after you have proven yourself in the field.” Read the entire article here.