Outward Migration (McCook, O'Neill, Broken Bow: new home, income, living)

[itsMeFred]

But most other grocery store chains are unionized.

Just as an FYI-- Nebraska is a right to work state.

it might behoove folks to break up their farms and post sections of them for sale

I think you have some great ideas granny, but the above is never going to happen. Had you suggested this a year ago, I might have been persueded to believe it.
But watching the selfish greed of my neighbors over our current water crisis (I live in the Republican basin for those who know what I'm talking about), I have very little faith in the community spirit of people. And someone breaking off part of their farm to sell (and eating in to their own income) takes a great deal of community spirit.
However, ultimately, I think you have a good idea. And frankly, that's the direction my family is currently moving.

Shoot, that's why I bought online from Discount Western Wear in Valentine this Christmas

One more FYI-- The store is actually called Young's Western Wear. "discount western wear" is just their website URL.

[Gunluvver2]

The last time I checked the smallest parcel of land that can be sold without making it part of a subdivision (Nebraska) is 20 acres, unless it is already grandfathered in. In one of my other posts I suggested that a lot of the baby boomers that left rural areas when they were younger may be returning as they retire. I expect there will be a lot of farms in some areas that will be broken into smaller acreages and sold just like you suggest SCGranny. Many of these "boomers" will have enough money to hire help for work that they do not want to do. Things like landscaping, snow removal, vehicle maintenence etc. I have heard of several groups in the New England states that have hobbies in common and they have purchased smaller tracts of land in the same area and banded together to support a market for their particular hobby. Hobbies like horses, woodworkers, dog breeders, car collectors etc. A lot of these hobbies require a lot of support and logistics that younger people who live in the community cqn derive income from. Another thing these boomers will be spending a lot of money on is new housing. I have friends who have worked in high paying jobs on the coasts for many years and now that they are retiring they have houses that are worth a million dollars or more and the mortgages have been payed off. There are still quite a few places in SOME rural areas where $1 million will buy a small acreage and build a home that would cost several times a million in cities like San Francisco, Boston, New York City etc. These same "boomers" will probably be a good market for farm fresh eggs and organic meats and produce. Health laws make it very difficult to sell organic food products on the open market but agreements between producers and customers can be arranged to bypass these restrictions.

There is going to be one huge bugaboo in this whole scenario IMHO. Mineral Rights! Do any of you want to buy a piece of property without controlling the rights to the Minerals underneath?

GL2

[SCGranny]

Thanks for the correction, Fred. I did a quick reference on my saved correspondence emails, and that (Discount) was the name that came up. Young's Western Wear, Young's Western Wear. I'll try to do better.

Well, I didn't mean selling off farms in production, I meant for those who are selling off family farms anyway - instead of 1,000s of acres, breaking them up into acreage. The folks I've talked to over the past two years don't even demand a house or a well - just the ability to build or dig one, or access to water. They are talking about sod homes, log homes, all sorts of creative 'green' stuff like solar and wind power, that they desire.

As far as millionaire retirees buying such property, and hiring people to work it for them - well, that kind of defeats the purpose of those who want to personally work the land, doesn't it? Not to say that there won't be such folk or that one shouldn't cater to them - far be it from me to tell people what they 'should' do! - but absentee farmers or farmers without a vested working interest may not care for the land as much as younger folk who want a better life for their children. Not all kids are being raised in good schools, with good governments overseeing planning and infrastructure. Many of their parents want to get away before its too late, and their kids get caught up in gangs and drugs and fast food jobs. With most of the industry overseas, service jobs are not well-paying, and yet they are about all that are left to our young folk. Why not put them back onto the land and into being productive?

(Yes, I'm a Granny, but we marry young in the South - and I am in no way retiring! Grin)

I hope that no one thinks I'm proposing a commune (aaauuuggghhh! ) - for one thing those do not work over time, and for another it is political and social anathema to me. I'm all about personal freedom and individual rights. No, but an already-established town that wants to keep their people and come together to do mutually productive work... and then go home and be happy. Different families could have different productions in the same town/area, but market them as a whole under one banner. Sort of like a Chamber of Commerce on steroids!

As for mineral rights - yup, I admit that's a toughie for me, and has long been a consideration and a worry in the back of my mind while I've been looking for property. Bluntly, I have no answers for that one, other than a constant prayer that the property which I finally buy in two months will never ever have anything underneath the soil except empty unyielding rock.

[Off Pavement]

Originally Posted by Gunluvver2

There is going to be one huge bugaboo in this whole scenario IMHO. Mineral Rights! Do any of you want to buy a piece of property without controlling the rights to the Minerals underneath?

GL2

Every house I've bought or sold has not owned the mineral rights until I bought my 5 acres near Cambridge. I guess I'd be sick if I didn't own the rights and somebody showed up with a drill rig to take oil out of my front yard or strip mine the back 40. The last house we sold in Colorado in a suburb of Denver actually was above a known reserve of coal owned by the Union Pacific RR, as was every other home in surrounding neighborhoods. I never gave it a second thought that the railroad would decide to mine the coal or sell their rights for development of the reserve. The possibility was there, but the reality didn't back it up.

Do you have an experience you could share about not owning mineral rights? I'm sure there are examples, but I wonder how many people would be deturred from buying.

[itsMeFred]

I meant for those who are selling off family farms anyway - instead of 1,000s of acres, breaking them up into acreage.

Oh I see what you mean. A good idea, but I don't see this happening, either. A large tract in the western 2/3 of NE will sell better than a smaller 90% of the time. Simply because you need so much ground in order to do anything. It's worth trying, but I also see the possibility of breaking out a few pieces for a higher price and making larger buyers less interested... See what I mean?
Like I said, we're a perfect example of what you're talking about; young family looking for a small piece to hopefully make a partial living on. We've been looking for several years and that just rarely turns up...
However, once you get closer to bigger towns--Chadron, Scottsbluff, North Platte, Alliance, etc. you're more likely to find precisely what you're talking about. People are "subdividing" into smaller acreages and you're also more likely to find small, organic producers. But then, they're close to population centers and population centers are experiencing as dramatic of an effect from out-migration.

So far as mineral rights, that's becoming a more recent issue out here. However, of the pieces of ground we've looked at, mineral rights are usually assumed to go with the land itself. In fact, we looked at 40 acres this winter where the seller (an out-of-stater) thought that was a selling point; that mineral rights came with the ground. So far, it's still more common that they sell part and parcel than they don't.

[star_gazer]

These times are likely such that one should be looking very closely at this issue as well. My great grandmother owned land near Holdrege... and was told back in the 70's that there was oil shale beneath it... however, it would only become viable to dig for if the price of oil rose considerably. Well... I suspect those days are coming, if not already here.

[Gunluvver2]

To Off Pavement. I own all the mineral rights on the land I own and I would NEVER consider buying a piece of property that did not include Mineral Rights. However I do know plenty of folks in Eastern Montana, Eastern Colorado, Eastern Wyoming, Western Kansas and Nebraska that have sold property and retained Mineral Rights. If you want to buy property in the Eastern ends of Montana, Wyoming and Colorado with mineral rights you are going to pay a big hunk of change to get the MRs.

I am really surprised that you were able to get the mineral rights on the five acres you bought in Cambridge unless you paid extra for them. You are pretty close to proven oil reserves in the Cambridge area. When the price of oil climbs up to $150/barrel they are going to be punching new holes in the ground all around you. Things are slower in Kansas because the Kansas oil production laws are very strict in the amounts of oil that can be pumped.

[itsMeFred]

I am really surprised that you were able to get the mineral rights on the five acres you bought in Cambridge unless you paid extra for them.

I'm not. We've been looking in SW Neb/NW KS for a couple of years. It's still far more common to include mineral rights in the sale price than not. That's even taking into account the nat'l gas wells going in all over the place...

[Steve_W]

Originally Posted by SCGranny

I'll do better than that, Steve.

We're coming up to look at property in ND SD and NE in March. When we settle, I'll give you my address - and free samples. Or, I'll trade you for some local fare. Remember, I asked about kuchen... but any baked goods will be fine.

Fair?

Sounds good on your end but as far as local fair it's either corn or Tyson's processed food. I Doubt you want that, lol.

I'm pretty good on the grill though.

Btw, what in the heck is kuchen?

[itsMeFred]

what in the heck is kuchen

a German pastry/pie type of dessert.