WEST BRANCH, Iowa — The Sustainable Iowa Land Trust announced this week that it is selling the first farm it ever protected, 53 acres 10 minutes from downtown Omaha, in Honey Creek IA.
Using an innovative 2-step process, the land trust will first request letters from potential buyers stating how they would farm the land and stating a price they believe is fair. Land trust board members will review proposals and then invite the most compatible buyers to submit a sealed bid.
SILT is placing an agricultural conservation easement on the property that will require sustainable food production by all future owners. This narrows the pool of buyers and reduces the cost of the farm. SILT estimates that unprotected, this land could sell for $500,000 as a rural residence, but with restrictions will sell at a significant discount. Access to affordable land is the No. 1 concern among the 1,700 farmers polled in a recent National Young Farmers Coalition survey.
Property Open House will be held:
May 29, 3 to 5 pm
Meet at 19195 Cougar Ave. Honey Creek, IA
Melvyn Houser, former SILT board member, host mandlhouser@hotmail.com
More information is available at silt.org. Deadline for letters is June 15, 2018.
— Sustainable Iowa Land Trust
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