Property Taxes for Farms (fit in, attorney, house)

[semo54]

I noticed that the average sized farm in Jones Co. is 122 acres. Would someone with a farm in the County please give me an idea of what the property tax bill would be on a place of this size, assuming there is a small to moderate home on it and not a mansion? Also, what would you think the chances are that the state or county might keep taxes low on farms in the future. I made an offer (for the appraised value) on a 136 acre farm in Wilkinson County back in late 2006. There was a 200yr. old, 4200 sq.ft. house on it in good condition, and the attorney that drew up the contract guaranteed me that the taxes would be under $300.00 per yr. because it was classified as farming property. The owner did not accept the offer...guess appraisal wasn't enough. I'm hoping Jones county has a similar tax structure on farming property. I live in St. Tammany parish in S.E. Louisiana on 15 acres with obviously too big a house. They raised our tax bill 320% (yep, that's three hundred twenty) this year. Was paying around $1600...now it's just over $5100. What a fabulous idea, when we're enduring these lovely economic times. I've been in retail for 26 years here, and business has dropped over 30% since Hurricane Katrina. How soon our public officials forget...or don't care is more like it. At 56 years of age, I need to either try something else in another State/County, or think about exiting the entire country. Would rather stay here of course, but if this insanity (as well as all the federal govt. fun time) keeps up, I might just follow a friend to Germany. My wife and I have always liked Mississippi and visit many parts of the state regularly, so we know we like the people and fit in just fine. Born and raised in Louisiana, but will leave in a heartbeat if we find a place we like with much lower taxes. So, I'm considering a last ditch effort to stay in the U.S., and hope it will work out. Any help would be most appreaciated.