Beaver Thriving On This Property

Word is that the beaver that set up housekeeping on this property a few years ago are moving back and forth between a neighboring farm. Which has that owner concerned. He doesn't want them.

We might have to relocate them, or trap them. Undetermined at this time. I haven't been able to snap a photo of them the times I have been there, so I pulled this shot off the internet.

Beaver are fascinating animals. Four-legged engineers that know how to divert a stream, or dam it, build incredible lodges, and are lumberjacks extraordinaire.

Anyway, I will report when we made a move on the status of the pair of beaver on this farm.

More On Rising U.S. Land Prices, With Focus On Texas

Here is another piece out of Texas about rising farmland prices, or at least how no one wants to sell.

Our Morgan County property has probably 80-90 acres of pasture, which is great for hay and grazing. Hay prices are high because so many farmers are putting former pastures or fallow land into corn to take advantage of record corn prices, which are being driven by world demand for ethanol fuel -- which is produced by (you guessed it) corn.

Nevertheless, an interesting article showing how farmland prices across the nation are not just stabilizing, but going up.

2011 Is The 'International Year Of Forests'

The United National General Assembly has designated 2011 as the International Year of Forests.

Southeast Ohio certainly has its share, and the majority of this 348 acre property is covered in hardwoods. In fact, the property is a short drive from the Wayne National Forest -- Ohio's only national forest.

Nothing like a waving tree, leaves acting as a sail, on a sunny, breezy day. And then there's the fact that timber is a renewable resource that provides periodic income for property owners....

Food for thought.

Studio of Internationally Known Area Artist To Be Placed On National Register

Howard Chandler Christy, born in a log cabin in Morgan County in the late 1800s, became an internationally known artist who, to this day, has paintings hanging in museums around the world -- and the U.S. Capitol.

Now, a building Christy used as a studio near the village of Blue Rock (and not too far from this farm), is being added to the National Register of Historic Places.

An annual art show, named for him, is held each summer in the county seat of McConnelsville. The man was a household name in the U.S. in the early 1900s. Both historians as well as art lovers are well versed in the Christy works, which spanned three distinect phases of his life.

Some More Photos . . .

Geologists Say Natural Gas Rich Marcellus Shale Extends Into SE Ohio

Marcellus shale, a sedimentary rock layer that oil and gas exploration companies say is chock full of trapped natural gas, is now believed to extend well into Ohio.

Previously, geologists noted on maps that marcellus shale deposits stopped at the Pennsylvania/Ohio state border. Though I always laughed at that; I have been and continue to this day to believe that glaciers and shale deposits never respected later-to-be-named state and provincial borders.

But I digress....

Marcellus shale exploratory drilling is occurring all over Pennsylvania and extending into Ohio. This farm does have oil lease options on it. Geologists seeking marcellus deposits have been sniffing around Southeast Ohio for some time.

With current worldwide oil and natural gas prices continuing to fluctuate (on the rising side), it is only a matter of time whether drillers start exploring in Morgan County for marcellus gas deposits.

Redbuds Are Blooming!

It is Spring, and the redbuds are blooming in Morgan County.

Another reason why people love SE Ohio.

Demand For Corn Putting Pressure On Ohio Land Prices

More on Ohio land price increases, this time a more recent article about the worldwide demand for corn.

Which is pushing farmers to plan fencerow to fencerow . . . well not pushing them, but if they want to capitalize on increasing grain prices, well, the more you plant the more you can harvest.

And as farmland values increase, so does the value of other land, including pasture and woodlands.

Check out the latest article by clicking here.