The Land Podcast - The Pursuit of Land Ownership and Investing

Hosted by Jake Hofer

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242

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Nov 2026

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About the show

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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November 9, 20261 hr 28 min

#244 - Nobody Wanted These Farms, He Thinks You Should Buy One: Here's Why with Skip Sligh

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 Skip Sligh. We discuss:- Skip explains why owning more acres still leaves plenty of work to grow and hold mature bucks.- Jake asks what softer prices and higher borrowing costs mean for Midwest recreational land buyers.- Skip explains why he looks at southeast Iowa farms other buyers passed over after EHD.- Skip describes improving food plots and timber while a local deer herd recovers.- Skip recalls losing access to his uncle’s place and saving for a down payment as a kid.- Skip explains how he buys farms he can improve and rolls the proceeds into the next property.- Skip tells Jake why he sold his paid-off truck to cover an early farm payment.- Skip explains why some landowners put up high fences when deer keep getting shot next door.- Skip uses interior food plots, CRP browse and timber work to give deer more reasons to stay.- Skip explains why he started speaking up about hunting regulations and access for younger hunters. And so much more! Chapters:0:00 Why Skip looks at farms hit by EHD1:08 Skip’s family buck and what acreage buys you9:39 What Jake and Skip are seeing in the land market12:20 Buying after an EHD die-off20:03 Does the buyer have the edge?28:08 How Skip got started buying farms33:09 Turning farm improvements into the next purchase50:45 Selling his truck to make the farm payment54:34 How do you keep more bucks alive through the season?59:04 Why some landowners put up high fences1:09:52 Interior food plots and keeping deer on the farm1:22:50 Why Skip speaks up about hunting regulations 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

November 2, 202659 min

#243 - How He Kept His Family Farm After His Partners Wanted To Sell with Shan Twit

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 Shan Twit. We discuss:- Shan closes on 170 acres on the Kentucky River in Woodford County with his dad and father-in-law in January 2026.- Shan and his dad each buy out one of two Seattle partners for a third, with no bank and no financing.- Shan pays for his share with money he set aside 50 and 100 bucks at a time for 22 years.- Shan explains why Kentucky’s one-buck rule beat Tennessee’s three tags and Wisconsin’s wolves and draw waits.- Shan says you can fix habitat, plots, water and screening, but never the “deer is mine” mindset next door.- Shan’s most common shortfall is a canopy too mature to grow browse, which makes up 80% of what deer eat.- Shan says to kill bush honeysuckle and other invasives before you ever open up the canopy.- Shan weighs the veneer oaks on his steep north slope against the turkey roosts they provide.- Shan sets off 90-second military smoke grenades at every stand because the wind apps are often wrong.- Shan says it takes three years to really know a farm, and small parcels leave almost no room for error. And so much more! Chapters:0:00 Intro1:11 Who is Shan Twit? Palmer grad to Team 200 cameraman6:42 170 acres on the Kentucky River and the workshop dream9:25 Jake’s head tilt: what a chiropractor actually fixes11:45 Why he waited to buy, and why Kentucky over Wisconsin20:33 What you can and can’t fix on a hunting farm24:34 Preserving the family farm: the partner buyout27:39 Where most farms fall short: canopy, roads, neighbors31:03 The $100,000 walnut: cut it or keep it?35:27 The 2027 punch list: honeysuckle, soil tests, lime41:22 Stand access, smoke grenades and three years to know a farm49:58 Off-season scouting and small-parcel room for error54:45 The March 13 workshop and what onX can’t show you 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

October 26, 20261 hr 12 min

#242 - Does Setting Up A Farm For Deer Hunting Actually Increase Its Value? with Abe Aryan

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

October 19, 20261 hr 2 min

#241 - Why Some Small Farms Can Hunt Better Than Most Big Farms with Jack Huston

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

October 12, 20261 hr 4 min

#240 - What Happens To Land Prices If The 2030s Bring A Great Depression? with Connor Lokar

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

October 5, 20261 hr 1 min

#239 - He Bought His First Farm Sight Unseen - And Doubled His Money On It with Ryan Kirby

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 

September 28, 202653 min

#238 - One $1 Million Farm or Four Smaller Farms—What Would You Choose? with Steve Hanson

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

September 21, 20261 hr 4 min

#237 - The $3,500 Tax Lien Land Deal That Almost Got Him Arrested with Caleb Richardson

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

September 14, 20261 hr 1 min

#236 - How He Finds Small Land Deals With Big Potential with Bryan Tanner

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

September 7, 20261 hr 3 min

He Paid $6,300/Acre For Crap Cattle Ground On Purpose, Here's Why with Sean Asada

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