Montana Land News

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is pursuing multiple land deals that will be considered at the August 13, 2020 Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting. W-Bar conservation easement - 6,751 acres, Wibaux County - $2.19MM cost Lone Tree conservation easement - 11,285 acres, Blaine County - $5,09MM cost Big Snowy Mountains Wildlife Management Area purchase - 5,667 acres, Golden Valley County Chip...

The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service has released it's 2020 Summary of Land Values.  The data is based on USDA surveys of land owners and managers.  Overall, the average values of irrigated cropland, dry cropland and native rangeland in Montana have been stable since 2015 acording to the survey data. Below is a chart summarizing the USDA data for...

We are very excited to announce a collaborative effort between Montana Land Source and RanchInvestor.com to record podcasts about Montana land investment and the rural Montana land market.  In addition to the regular hosts, each episode features experts in various areas of expertise including appraisers, attorneys, consultants, etc.... Please listen, let us know what you think, and share with...

Wildfire season is upon us in Montana, and so the Montana Land Source map application features two active wildfire layers provided by the National Incident Feature Service (NIFS).  The two layers provide the most up-to-date information and mapping available on wildfires in Montana, and allows users of our map app to view active wildfire information in relation to other map features, including...

Two large conservation easements have been proposed in western Montana on Southern Pine Plantations timberlands that were formerly owned by Weyehaeuser and Plum Creek Timber. The proposed easements stem from concerns that the sale of the timberlands will take away long-standing access to the public that the prior owners allowed. The first project is called "The Montana Great Outdoors Project,"...

A land swap, being called the East Crazy Mountain and Inspiration Divide Public Access Improvement Land Exchange is being proposed on east side of the Crazy Mountains and in the Madison Range between private land owners, the Yellowstone Club and the US Forest Service.  Included in the swap would be a new public trail on the east of the Crazies to be funded by the Yellowstone Club, and an access...

Montana's largest timber company, Weyerhaeuser Company, completed the sale of 630,000 acres to Southern Pine Plantations on March 26, 2020. The price of the transaction was approximately $145 million in cash, which comes to $230 per acre. The lands all lie in northwestern Montana, and reportedly most of the marketable timber has been harvested on the timberlands and the remaining young forest...

Land values in the rural west, especially in beautiful amenity-rich states like Montana, have been appreciating dramatically over many decades. Where the economic basis for land value used to be the income potential from farming or ranching, it is now based largely on recreational pursuits, aesthetics, development and investment potential. Land values have risen to the point that the purchase of...

UPDATE - The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on June 17, 2020 upheld the earlier court decision, affirmed by the Montana Supreme Court, that dinosaur fossils are part of the surface state, and not the mineral rights.  A key factor in the decision appears to be that the value of fossils are not in their mineral content, but rather in their cultural and historical significance. This decision affirms...

Max Hansen, long-time property exchange expert from Dillon, MT who is now a Managing Director for Accruit, has provided the following information on the IRS and Treasury extension of 1031 exchange deadlines:   "The big news in the exchange industry has been the issuance on April 9 of Notice 2020-23 by the IRS and Treasury which extended the 1031 exchange deadlines.  Following is a link to the...