
Advertise on podcast: The Land Podcast - The Pursuit of Land Ownership and Investing
Rating
4.8from
This podcast has
241 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Jake HoferExplicit
No
Date created
2021/06/15
Latest episode
2026/10/26
Average duration
63 min.
Release period
7 days
Description
The Land Podcast is a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land. If you're interested in the pursuit of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals, then you're in the right place! Join Illinois licensed real estate broker Jake Hofer on his land journey and learn from some of the best in the land business along the way.
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Check latest episodes from The Land Podcast - The Pursuit of Land Ownership and Investing podcast
#242 - Does Setting Up A Farm For Deer Hunting Actually Increase Its Value? with Abe Aryan
2026/10/26
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Abe Aryan.
We discuss:- Abe explains why food plots, screening and quiet access can make hunting-land buyers stretch their budgets.- Abe explains how his family's commercial real estate deals shape his approach to hunting-land ownership.- Abe weighs direct seller negotiations and financing costs before committing to recreational ground.- Abe describes how grazing changed a Nebraska lease and helped push him toward owning his hunting land.- Abe recounts a Kansas auction that led to a first purchase of roughly 864 acres near Bow Creek.- Abe recounts buying his first three farms using satellite maps and trusted people on the ground.- Abe includes interest, taxes and agent fees when calculating whether a property protects his downside.- Abe learns why a local farmer's 400-acre field gets priority over his three-acre food plot.- Abe buys his own tractor and no-till drill, then uses courses and AI to learn food-plot planting.- Abe introduces Modern Woodsman and its approach to combining buck history, weather and property data.
And so much more!
Chapters:0:00 Why hunting-land buyers stretch their budgets1:09 Meet Abe Aryan6:02 Family real estate lessons and financing14:26 Improvements that help a hunting farm sell23:19 From a Nebraska lease to land ownership29:09 Budgets, deer access and fixer-upper farms30:48 The Kansas auction and buying three farms43:13 Protecting the downside and using a land agent50:50 Food-plot mistakes and buying his own equipment55:30 Learning habitat management with courses and AI1:01:07 Modern Woodsman and trail-camera data
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt-Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/- Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com- Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#241 - Why Some Small Farms Can Hunt Better Than Most Big Farms with Jack Huston
2026/10/19
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today’s episode, we are back in the studio with Jack Huston.
We discuss:- Jack says you need close to 2,000 acres to control your own destiny, so the neighborhood decides most farms.- Jack explains why 80 acres next to 700 unhunted acres can beat 500 acres with seven people around you.- Jack calls the lone 500-acre owner doing all the habitat work his least favorite setup: it becomes the doe factory.- Jack warns buyers against limiting themselves to one county or insisting on road frontage for access.- Jack says fruit trees and directional fencing don’t move the needle like TSI, herd control and a good neighborhood.- Jack shares his own results: 120 does and 300 acres of TSI in four years, and about 25% more mature bucks.- Jack explains why Kansas, northern Wisconsin and the U.P. may not need doe harvest, with coyotes doing that job.- Jack’s drone detection systems show Ohio flights running about ten times what he sees anywhere else.- Jack counts roughly 25 genuinely good small farms, about 2,500 acres, in his half-million-acre county.- Jack and Jake go rapid fire on big acreage, creek bottoms, CRP, standing corn and owning land next to public.
And so much more!
Chapters:0:00 Buy 40 acres, hunt the 2,000 around you2:50 The farms people regret buying9:30 Red flags from the air: the lone manager’s doe factory12:00 What buyers overvalue: one county, road frontage, poaching14:46 When a farm has hit its ceiling16:14 Is shooting does and TSI worth it? Jack’s 120-doe results22:17 Shooting does on 40 and 80 acres, and where not to28:30 Drone detection: why Ohio’s flights run 10x36:12 How rare is a really good farm?42:55 Regional genetics: Kansas bodies, Oklahoma racks49:10 Sanctuaries vs. habitat quality53:23 Rapid fire: overrated or underrated?
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would’ve been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt-Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/- Use code ‘HOFER’ to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com- Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#240 - What Happens To Land Prices If The 2030s Bring A Great Depression? with Connor Lokar
2026/10/12
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Connor Lokar.
We discuss:
- Connor sizes up the economy as "three yards and a cloud of dust," with industrial production at a 4.5-year high.
- Connor explains why new homes, autos, and boats and RVs are struggling with rates and a glut of used COVID inventory.
- Connor expects to see a mortgage rate starting with an 8 or 9 before one that starts with a 4 or 5.
- Connor explains why a Fed rate cut can lower prime for land loans while mortgage rates climb with the 10-year.
- Connor blames government debt and money printing for what land, mortgages and credit cards cost today.
- Connor tells younger buyers that cash beyond three months of expenses "should be poison" with inflation where it is.
- Connor recommends a one-to-two-year farm emergency fund and agreeing on an exit line with your spouse ahead of time.
- Connor says carrying land debt is fine, but not stacked on an 84-month truck loan and a home equity line.
- Connor lays out ITR's call for a five-year "great depression" from about 2030 to 2035, with stocks down 40-45%.
- Connor explains how data centers turned a client's $40 million warehouse into a $60 million one in 24 months.
And so much more!
Chapters:
0:00 An economist's odds on a 2030s Great Depression
0:53 How's the economy right now?
3:03 Where the economy is weak: housing, autos, boats and RVs
8:59 Where interest rates are headed next
13:43 Prime vs. mortgage rates, explained
21:15 Is now a good time to buy land?
29:42 The farm economy and future land supply
35:13 What could trigger a big drop in land values
38:20 Farm emergency funds and land as an inflation hedge
43:36 Carrying debt on land, and the '80s farm crisis
49:05 ITR's forecast for a 2030s Great Depression
55:00 Data centers and the cost of building
1:00:30 How likely is it, and where to follow Connor
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
-Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
- Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com
- Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#239 - He Bought His First Farm Sight Unseen - And Doubled His Money On It with Ryan Kirby
2026/10/05
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Ryan Kirby.
We discuss:
- Ryan explains why the North Carolina mountains grow Fraser fir Christmas trees and cattle, not row crops.
- Ryan breaks down his Christmas tree sharecropping deal: he pays for land and inputs, the grower supplies labor.
- Ryan has 27,000 trees on 20 acres, bought as $1.40 seedlings, with wholesale at $50 a tree this year.
- Ryan figures the harvest pays off the $300,000 he paid for a 34-acre mountain hayfield and leaves $150,000.
- Ryan explains why Christmas trees carry more risk than corn: no futures market, no storage, and an 8-year wait.
- Ryan saves his input deductions for the harvest year so one big check doesn't become a huge tax bill.
- Ryan recalls buying his first Hancock County 40 sight unseen for $117,000 and telling his wife at bath time.
- Ryan explains why running a farm 40 minutes from his parents' place pushed him to buy ground a mile away.
- Ryan used a 120-day close from the loggers who won an auction to 1031 his 40, which sold in a week for about $296,000.
- Ryan shares Terry Drury's advice to never get emotional about a piece of land.
And so much more!
Chapters:
0:00 He bought his first farm sight unseen
0:53 Fall art season and coaching youth football
7:55 Why North Carolina grows Christmas trees
11:43 Penciling out 27,000 trees on 20 acres
21:50 Is the Christmas tree math too good to be true?
26:09 No futures market and no storing the crop
32:16 Buying his first Illinois farm sight unseen
36:49 How the first farm got his wife on board
40:12 Why the first farm got too far away
44:58 The auction he walked away from
50:45 Mennonite loggers, flip phones and the timber he missed
56:07 Terry Drury's advice: don't get emotional about land
1:00:23 Where to find Ryan Kirby Art
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
-Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
- Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at [www.theprairiefarm.com](https://www.theprairiefarm.com)
- Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#238 - One $1 Million Farm or Four Smaller Farms—What Would You Choose? with Steve Hanson
2026/09/28
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Steve Hanson.
We discuss:
- Steve explains why he stepped away from outfitting and wanted to spend more time hunting again.
- Steve describes how Iowa's nonresident draw and public-land camera rules shape hunting access.
- Steve says premium Iowa hunting farms still command strong prices while average farms have plateaued.
- Steve weighs access, wind, food, and neighboring buyers when evaluating a hunting property.
- Steve recalls buying a $430-per-acre farm after passing on a $350-per-acre strip mine.
- Steve explains why records matter when a chain of 1031 exchanges is eventually unwound.
- Steve considers why higher rates and thin cash flow make land purchases harder to justify.
- Steve connects Iowa's nitrate concerns, corn production, and stream buffers to land values.
- Steve shares Iowa's right-hand fence rule and a 16.5-foot strip missing from a farm title.
- Steve favors one $1 million farm over four smaller ones, despite attention from neighbors and drones.
And so much more!
Chapters:
0:00 One big farm or four smaller farms?
2:30 Why Steve stepped away from outfitting
7:34 Public-land trail cameras and hunting pressure
10:50 What premium Iowa hunting farms are worth
15:18 Steve's first farm and finding value
19:35 Tracking 1031 exchanges and tax basis
25:27 Can hunting land ever pencil out?
29:53 Iowa water quality and farmland values
36:22 How interest rates affect land deals
38:26 Fence law and hidden title problems
47:03 The big-farm tradeoff: control versus attention
50:28 Turning $100,000 into land equity
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
-Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
- Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at [www.theprairiefarm.com](https://www.theprairiefarm.com)
- Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#237 - The $3,500 Tax Lien Land Deal That Almost Got Him Arrested with Caleb Richardson
2026/09/21
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Caleb Richardson.
We discuss:
Caleb’s $3,500 Kentucky tax lien on more than 80 acres of mature white oak.
Why a lawyer’s bad guidance led to a trespassing warrant and years of legal fallout.
Using 1099 CRNA income to build flexibility, increase earnings, and buy land.
The Alabama ag-bank program that helped him finance his first farm with 15% down.
Why five years of walking properties gave Caleb confidence to move fast when it mattered.
His tactic of offering on the 50 acres he did not want to find the seller’s real floor.
Buying 100 acres below list, then transforming it with roads, firebreaks, and fire.
How a prescribed fire brought every local department out—and improved the property.
Using trail-camera proof to show buyers exactly why his farm had become a deer mecca.
Why he is buying Kentucky ground hit hard by EHD instead of waiting for perfect conditions.
And so much more!
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com
Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
Chapters:0:00 The $3,500 Tax-Lien Warrant1:00 Meet Caleb Richardson6:53 Five Years Searching for the Right Farm11:04 Going 1099 to Fund Land Purchases18:08 The Kentucky Tax-Lien Nightmare33:39 Buying and Negotiating His First 100 Acres45:43 Transforming a Clear-Cut Into a Deer Mecca53:42 The Sight-Unseen Kentucky Farm58:34 Acting With Conviction and the 640-Acre Goal
#236 - How He Finds Small Land Deals With Big Potential with Bryan Tanner
2026/09/14
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Bryan Tanner.
We discuss:
- Bryan explains the six-times rule of thumb he used to price pipeline right-of-way offers in oil and gas.
- Bryan buys a 20-acre owner-financed Montana parcel six months before the Yellowstone boom hits.
- Bryan says his 5- to 50-acre tracts routinely double or quadruple in value over two to three years.
- Bryan knows a trend has peaked when lower-third parcels start selling at full market value.
- Bryan makes the case for 8- to 10-acre tracts that consistently kill big bucks in Buffalo County.
- Bryan's client allowed zero hunting on 700 Ohio acres and had no deer over 155 inches four years later.
- Bryan's investors make $143,000 in three weeks on a 110-acre farm that sat unsold for a year and a half.
- Bryan values a central Ohio farm listed at $6,000 an acre closer to $2,500 for a deer hunter.
- Bryan builds a 40-foot wildlife crossing over a drain after deer start using his access culvert.
- Bryan admits he passed on deals for years out of analysis paralysis and was wrong every time.
And so much more!
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
-Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
- Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com
- Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at [www.theprairiefarm.com](https://www.theprairiefarm.com)
- Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:57 Meet Bryan Tanner
2:22 21 Years In Oil And Gas Land Work
5:17 How Eminent Domain Really Works
8:02 Why Companies Won't Just Pay 20X
12:33 The Six-Times Rule For Right-Of-Way Offers
16:43 Why He Buys Small Tracts
17:22 Buying Montana Before Yellowstone Took Off
23:20 How He Knows When To Sell
25:14 Finding The Next Buffalo County
30:55 Big Bucks On 20 Acres In Western Illinois
32:20 Hunting A Small Tract Next To An Outfitter
35:02 EHD And The Coming Shift In Herd Management
39:25 Where The Deals Are Right Now
41:42 Biggest Mistakes Land Buyers Make
45:30 Be Careful About Market Value
47:06 Flipping 110 Acres In Three Weeks
51:37 Cheap Improvements That Sell A Farm
56:31 Building A Wildlife Crossing Over A Culvert
59:01 Advice To His Younger Self
1:01:09 Where To Find Bryan
He Paid $6,300/Acre For Crap Cattle Ground On Purpose, Here's Why with Sean Asada
2026/09/07
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Sean Asada.
We discuss:
- Why August in Iowa runs as slow as January, and why sellers read it as something worse
- February and March as the window for recreational ground, and April for acreages
- Sean's case that now through November 1 is a strong time to list hunting land
- The 60% rule: gather most of the information, decide, and accept you'll never get the rest
- Buying a farm after fifty yards out of the truck, and how many reps that actually takes
- The buddy who texted that some idiot just paid $6,300 an acre for crap cattle ground
- Why three neighbors at 1,800 acres matter more than the dirt you are actually buying
- The property Sean let slide over $2,250 an acre and the $68,000 it cost him
- The argument against shooting a deer on the farm you just bought
- Food plots are ROI, bedding is stewardship, and why most owners overrate their own farm
And so much more!
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:04 Who Sean Asada is, and selling two Iowa's at once
3:04 Why August is as slow as January
8:11 Gut-feel buyers vs the forty-step checklist
15:37 Land against the stock market
21:21 The $2,250 an acre he let slide
31:06 You don't have to shoot something
41:56 Food plots for ROI, bedding for stewardship
47:45 When the trail cam history is lackluster
58:23 Base hits, black swans, and a bet on the Fed
62:55 Where to find Sean
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
-Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
- Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com
- Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at [www.theprairiefarm.com](https://www.theprairiefarm.com)
- Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#234 - He Skipped The 1031 Exchange On Purpose — And Made Money Doing It with Michael Engelmeyer
2026/08/24
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Michael Engelmeyer.
We discuss:
- Michael buys his first 80 acres as a tax play and leases it back to his own photography studio.
- He "liberates" an underground spring with a bulldozer and has four gobblers on the dam by sunrise.
- Michael doubles his money in three years, going from $1,400 an acre to $3,000 an acre.
- He sells the farm himself with a full-page newspaper ad built from his own trail camera photos.
- Michael skips the 1031 exchange on purpose, pays the capital gains, and invests the proceeds.
- He explains how a 90-day 1031 clock pushes buyers into farms they never should have bought.
- Michael walks away from a 3,400-acre Ozarks ranch over $200 an acre and gets it a year later.
- The sellers refuse $1,500 an acre at auction, then call him back and take $1,100.
- He argues square and rectangular parcels hunt better than odd-shaped ground at any price.
- Michael's due diligence starts with a drone and a call to the sheriff about meth in the area.
And so much more!
Chapters:
0:00 The 1031 Everyone Does, and Why He Didn't
0:58 Meet Michael Engelmeyer, Great Outdoor Studios
1:31 From St. Louis Fashion Shoots to the Outdoor Industry
4:27 Why He Bought Land in the First Place
5:13 The 80 Acres Between Two Big Tracts
6:19 Trading Hunting Rights for Construction Equipment
7:19 "Liberating" a Spring to Build a Pond
9:55 Four Gobblers on the Dam at Sunrise
10:58 Leasing the Farm Back to His Own Business
13:17 Doubling His Money in Three Years
17:40 The Neighbors Lowballed Him
19:36 Selling It Himself With a Full-Page Print Ad
22:39 $1,400 an Acre In, $3,000 an Acre Out
23:36 Why He Skipped the 1031 Exchange
27:20 Square or Rectangle: The Property Shape Rule
31:56 Finding the 6,000-Acre Ozarks Ranch
36:15 The Auction and the No-Sale
39:52 The Call a Year Later: Bought at $1,100
44:09 Treat Your Twenties Like Boot Camp
46:55 His Punch List: Drones, Aerials, and the Sheriff
51:04 Keep the Farm Within an Hour of Home
52:34 If He Started Over With $100,000
54:29 Why He'd Never Buy Land With a Partner
57:16 Patience, and Why Land Keeps Going Up
59:26 Where to Follow Michael
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
-Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
- Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com
- Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#233 - How a $240 Taxi Ride Led To His First 100 Acre Iowa Farm with Leo Lospoto
2026/08/17
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Leo Spoto.
We discuss:
How Leo went from a Bronx apartment to owning 245 acres of Iowa timber and creek bottom.
Why buying 100 acres near Albia at $1,850 an acre felt like overpaying back in 2013.
The expired driver's license that stranded Leo at the Des Moines airport before his first showing.
Why Chase Bank wouldn't touch a land loan and a local Iowa banker wrote it anyway.
How Leo closed on his first farm with $30,000 down when the bank wanted closer to $40,000.
The 1031 exchange that rolled two small farms into one 214-acre piece he bought sight unseen.
How walnut timber checks and an Iowa operating account carried a $2,600 monthly payment.
Why Leo would now rather buy a landlocked 30 with an easement than a farm with road frontage.
The roughly 250% return Leo has seen on Iowa ground since his first purchase in 2013.
Why point creep and four kids finally pushed Leo to list the entire farm this year.
And so much more!
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com
Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com
Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#232 - How He Got Approved For Land Being Self Employed with Mike Cantrall
2026/08/10
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Mike Cantrall.
We discuss:
Why two years of house-loan rejections came down to being newly self-employed and a DTI formula.
How Mike found a lender who looks at the whole financial picture instead of a W-2.
The Roth IRA withdrawal that covered his down payment when income alone wouldn't get him approved.
Going self-employed with no college degree, no plan, and two deer dropped off at a friend's shop.
Why the pressure of working for yourself is what finally forced him to figure out land ownership.
How he got pre-approved first, and had a landowner call him about 40 acres the very next day.
Buying, improving, and selling his first farm inside four months — and why he skipped the 1031.
Why he walked away from a 500-acre lease that cost about what a farm payment does.
What a permanent CREP easement restricts, plus the DNR visit that comes with owning one.
Why two used car payments a month is roughly the cost of a small farm.
And so much more!
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Starting a Taxidermy Business
04:19 Financing Land While Self-Employed
10:46 Mindset for Land Ownership
13:56 First Farm Purchase Strategy
17:40 Leasing Versus Owning Land
22:25 Rapid Farm Transactions
30:31 1031 Exchange Lessons
34:43 Reflections and Lessons Learned
41:26 Future Plans and CREP
50:37 The Home Building Challenge
53:05 Final Advice and Outro
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com
Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com
Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#231 - How He Bought His First Farm With No Credit History with Joe Chambers
2026/08/03
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Joe Chambers.
We discuss:
How Joe moved to Nebraska in 2007 after a divorce and built Chambers Custom into a high-end pistol shop.
Why you're not a member of a Midwest community until you buy ground — ten years, zero wedding invites.
How a farmer neighbor's phone call and a passed first-right-of-refusal got Joe his first 21 acres in 2015.
Why seven years of living on cash left Joe with no credit score at all and nearly killed his first farm loan.
The bank that wouldn't write a $6,000 car loan but offered a $20,000 unsecured credit card instead.
How a 23-year-old small-town loan officer named Toby became Joe's fifteen-year lending partner.
The county records website that exposed a neighbor's 99-year windmill lease days before an auction.
Why Joe bought a 246-acre farm with no access that had been overgrazed and mined for sixty years.
The first line of Don Higgins' plan that read "I'm 90% sure Joe will not follow this" — and what happened.
How Joe went from 80 deer with 75 does to a 201 and 1/8 inch buck in three seasons.
And so much more!
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com
Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com
Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#230 - How T-Bone Went From Single-Wide Trailer to 110 Acres, One Deal at a Time
2026/07/27
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Travis "T-Bone" Turner.
We discuss:
Travis bought his first 27 acres in Hogansville, GA in 1999 with a loan from his dad.
He explains the "pride factor" of hunting deer on ground you personally dictated and built.
Travis is now fighting a proposed data center planned right across the street from his farm.
He shares his "planting seeds" strategy of quietly telling landowners he'd buy if they ever sold.
Travis breaks down why Kansas and Oklahoma are his top picks for buying land today.
He explains why land prices never really fall back — $3,000 an acre never returns once it hits $5,000.
Travis recalls the two-handed, shaking-hands nerves of signing for his first property in 1999.
He compares Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa's hunting rules, calling Illinois his personal "nemesis."
Travis explains why he prefers buying rough, neglected land he can fix up himself.
He'd rather keep the land he already owns than ever draw a bow again.
And so much more!
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com
Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com
Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#225 - The Farm Tax Deduction That Gave A Rancher A $2.5 Million Dollar Tax Deduction
2026/07/21
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Alec Bean.
We discuss:
Section 180 has existed since the late 1950s.
Excess soil fertility can create significant tax deductions.
Most farmland owners have never utilized the deduction.
Recreational farms with tillable acres can qualify.
Timberland generally does not qualify.
Active participation creates larger tax advantages.
Some buyers use soil tests before making offers.
Midwest farms commonly show $500-$2,500/acre in value.
One client generated over $2.5 million in deductions.
Data center money is creating major farmland demand.
And so much more!
Connect with Alec: www.soiltaxguys.com
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
- Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
-Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
-OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
-Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
- Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
- Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com
- Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com
- Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
#229 - Should You Buy Land In An EHD-Hit Area Right Now? with Tyler Tissue
2026/07/20
Welcome to the land podcast, a platform for people looking to educate themselves in the world of land ownership, land investing, staying up to date with current land trends in the Midwest, and hearing from industry experts and professionals.
On today's episode, we are back in the studio with Tyler Tisue.
We discuss:
Tyler explains why land investors need a "base hit" mindset instead of always swinging for the fence.
How EHD wiped out Iowa's mature bucks—and why Tyler predicts giant bucks return within two to three years.
Tyler reveals 86% of Iowa farms are owned outright, with zero debt against them.
A Twitter poll shows 44% of farmers expect a profit in 2026, only 25% expect to lose money.
The wild story of an Amish family bidding war that pushed land to $250 per CSR point.
Why most recreational land buyers 1031 exchange instead of holding a farm forever.
Tyler previews his 86-acre Van Buren County, Iowa auction on August 5, split into two tracts.
Jake previews his 40-acre Hancock County, Illinois auction, home to a booner buck shot last season.
Tyler breaks down why today's roughly 6.5% interest rates are historically normal, not a red flag.
Tyler's rule for every seller: never fall in love with a farm you're planning to sell.
And so much more!
Thanks again for all of the support from our partners—none of this would've been possible without them!
Buck Land Funding: https://www.firstbankers.com/bucklandfunding
Hawke Optics | Use Code WHTL for 15% off: https://bit.ly/hawkeoptics_
OnX: https://bit.ly/onX_Hunt
Painted Arrow: bit.ly/PaintedArrow
Latitude Outdoors: https://www.latitudeoutdoors.com/
Whitetail Master Academy https://www.whitetailmasteracademy.com
Use code 'HOFER' to save 10% off at www.theprairiefarm.com
Massive potential tax savings: ASMLABS.Net
Podcast reviews
Read The Land Podcast - The Pursuit of Land Ownership and Investing podcast reviews
Northeast Ga bowhunter 2026/07/22
GREAT
Great podcast, found it and started listening before you reached the goal of 100 people buying first farm. It’s made me learn so much more about land ...
Timberscape Land Solutions 2025/09/18
My favorite podcast!
I listen to a lot of different podcasts both hunting related and otherwise, but this is the first podcast I make time for every week if my time is lim...
Joelbc3 2025/08/28
Exceptional Podcast!
I just recently found this podcast and I’ve gone back and listened to almost all of them from the beginning. Jake is an excellent podcast host! Keep...
@bac40 2025/06/30
Interesting and educational
Great podcast for anyone looking to get into owning property and are nervous about taking the first steps Having been down the same road and spent c...
Beards Creek 2025/06/05
Bought our 1st piece of ground
I just discovered this podcast about about three months ago and have been working my way through each episode. So much information I wish I had seven ...
Land fanatic 2025/05/29
My favorite podcast
Anybody interested in owning land or current land owners will find this podcast extremely helpful in keeping you up to date on the land market and the...
Bill Gammel 2025/03/24
Excellent
I am just getting started and this podcast has really provided some great information. It has also encouraged me to go forward.
rugbym10sflyu 2025/02/26
good content, audio needs help
lots of great info, but intro, host, guest volume levels are so different and makes it tough to finish some episodes please tap into someone to help e...
mcadden_ 2024/10/16
Invaluable Insights for Land Investors!
I’ve been in the process of growing my own land investment business, Turn Two, and The Land Podcast has been an incredible resource. Jake Hofer provid...
wryipadfhk 2024/06/26
Buying a KY Farm
Have been listening to your podcast for some time and have gained a lot of knowledge. You and your guests have helped in the search for the farm I clo...
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