Land Use and Transfer Plans in the U.S. Great Plains

In the next decades, aging farmers in the United States will make decisions that affect almost 1 billion acres of land. The future of this land will become more uncertain as farm transfer becomes more difficult, potentially changing the structure of agriculture through farm consolidation, changes in farm ownership and management, or taking land out of production. The Great Plains Population and Environment Project interviewed farmers and their spouses between 1997 and 1999. Farm Family Survey participants were ambiguous about their plans to leave farming, transfer land to others, and even long-term land use, largely due to concerns about the continued economic viability of farming. Participants living far from metropolitan areas expected to sell or rent to other farmers, while those near residential real-estate markets expected to sell to developers. Delays in planning for retirement and succession were common, further threatening the success of intergenerational transitions.

The Land Grant University Movement and IANR: Animal Science Seminar Series

"The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking we were at when we created them." That quote, attributed to Albert Einstein, epitomizes for me the importance of land grant universities in the 21 st century, and whenever I hear someone say that land grants are obsolete - which, occasionally, I do hear - I want to pull that quote out and say "here - read this." When all the problems in the world have been solved, then - and only then - will land grant universities be obsolete. Maybe. I'm not really willing to commit to the idea that the day of obsolete land grants ever will come, but if all the problems in the world are one day solved, then maybe - maybe - I'd consider it.

Macroecology of Caribbean Bats: Effects of Area, Elevation, Latitude, and Hurricane-Induced Disturbance

Understanding the geographic and environmental characteristics of islands that affect aspects of biodiversity is a major theme in ecology (Begon et al. 2006; Krebs 2001) and biogeography (Cox and Moore 2000; Drakare et al. 2006; Lomolino et al. 2006). Such understanding has become particularly relevant over the past century because human activities on continents have fragmented natural landscapes, often creating islands of isolated habitat dispersed within a sea of land uses that include agriculture, forestry, and various degrees of urban and suburban development. The increasingly fragmented or islandlike structure of mainland habitats has critical ramifications to conservation biology, as it provides insights regarding the mechanisms leading to species persistence and loss. Consequently, the study of patterns and mechanisms associated with island biodiversity is of interest in its own right (Whittaker 1998; Williamson 1981), and may provide critical insights into mainland phenomena that otherwise could not be studied because of ethical, financial, or logistical considerations involved with the execution of large-scale manipulative experiments.

RP979-56 Long-Term Installment Land Contracts

The installment land contract is both an instrument of transfer and a method of financing sales of land. If properly drawn, it can have a number of advantages for both the buyer and seller. Both parties should contact their attorneys to be sure that the terms of the contract are clearly stated and understood. This research publication discusses how long-term installment land contracts are used in the agricultural community.