We couldn’t think of a project that exemplifies this more than 2012: Ready2Raft.

Check out this video!

If you want to see the best America has to offer, look no further than the kids of FFA.

The FFA website describes the organization’s mission like this:

“The National FFA Organization operates under a Federal Charter granted by the 81st Congress of the United States, and is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture.  The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for the FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs.  The National FFA Organization is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.”

Take a moment to read the FFA Creed and think about how your career standards stack up.

I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds – achievements won by the present and past generations of agriculturists; in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us from the struggles of former years.

I believe that to live and work on a good farm, or to be engaged in other agricultural pursuits, is pleasant as well as challenging; for I know the joys and discomforts of agricultural life and hold an inborn fondness for those associations which, even in hours of discouragement, I cannot deny.

I believe in leadership from ourselves and respect from others. I believe in my own ability to work efficiently and think clearly, with such knowledge and skill as I can secure, and in the ability of progressive agriculturists to serve our own and the public interest in producing and marketing the product of our toil.

I believe in less dependence on begging and more power in bargaining; in the life abundant and enough honest wealth to help make it so–for others as well as myself; in less need for charity and more of it when needed; in being happy myself and playing square with those whose happiness depends upon me.

I believe that American agriculture can and will hold true to the best traditions of our national life and that I can exert an influence in my home and community which will stand solid for my part in that inspiring task.

The creed was written by E. M. Tiffany, and adopted at the 3rd National Convention of the FFA. It was revised at the 38th Convention and the 63rd Convention.

When searching for a forester, are you aware there are different types and each can assist you with your different needs?  Always remember, that in most states, any person who calls themselves a “forester” and works for hire on land that he or she does not own (state, federal and corporate lands are an exception must be registered by their given State  Board of Registration for Foresters.

Listed below are the different types of foresters you may come across and an explanation of what they do and what their area of expertise is.  This should help in determining who you need with regard to your property.

Acquisition Forester

A forester whose primary responsibility is to locate forestland that can be purchased by the company or organization he represents.

County Forester

A forester who works for the state forestry commission and provides assistance and education to landowners within a one or two county area.

Consulting Forester

A self-employed forester, who, for a fee, assists private landowners with forest management practices.  According to the Society of American Foresters, a consultant is a professional forester whose services are available to the general public on a contract or fee basis–with the fee paid by the client.  A consultant performs all work in compliance with legal requirements for the practice of forestry, such as registration and licensing.  A consultant remains free from conflicts of interest (for instance, wood procurement) to serve the best and sole interest of clients or charges. Some consultants provide general assistance; others specialize.

Extension Forester

A forester who works for the cooperative extension service and develops and provides technical information for state forestry interests. Their primary responsibility is group education, including preparing materials for local and regional educational activities, working through local Extension and other agency and organization personnel.

Forest Ranger

A U.S Forest Service forester in charge of part of a national forest referred to as a district. Forest rangers, or district rangers, supervise the management activities on their districts, including fire control, tree planting, recreational activities, and thinning and harvesting. District rangers do not provide assistance to private landowners.

Forest Supervisor

A U.S. Forest Service employee who coordinates all activities in a particular national forest but primarily supervises personnel and administers programs in the forest.

Industrial Forester

A forester employed by a forest-based industry. This individual may manage company-owned woodlands to produce forest products, may work with private landowners to purchase forest products for the company, or may do both.

Landowner Assistance Program (LAP) Forester

An industrial forester that provides certain forest-related services to landowners. Depending on the company or organization, the LAP forester may provide management planning, assistance with practices such as site preparation, planting and harvesting.

Procurement Forester

An industrial forester who buys timber from private and public landowners. Some timber buyers and procurement personnel are not professional foresters.

Professional Forester

In the usual context, this term refers to a person who has graduated from a professionally accepted, 4-year, college forestry curriculum.

Registered Forester

Any person who has been registered and licensed by their state Board of Registration for Foresters. Registration requires a combination of education, practical experience and successful passage of a registration examination.

The alarm blared off at 4:30 am.  It was still another hour and a half before daylight but the adrenaline was already kicking in.  A windy and clear March day was forecast for the Georgia turkey woods but this day was different.  Today I would not be chasing my old feathered friend with my shotgun but rather I would have the privilege of taking a young man turkey hunting for his first time in his life.

After a quick shower and a shot of caffeine, I put on my old hunting shirt and I was ready to roll. I couldn’t help but notice my anticipation was that of a child on Christmas Eve.  Introducing anyone at any age to the outdoors can be a significant point in their life.  For many it changes them forever.  It did me.  I still can remember when a selfless man took the time to take me hunting.  It changed my life for the better and I will always remember Dick Bishop for that.  I could only hope today might have that type of positive influence on this young man’s life.

The headlights hit my driveway and in a few short moments, Steve and his 14 year old son Daniel were in my house.  I’m not sure Daniel had any idea what he was about to be a part of.  What I did know was with the brisk wind, finding a talking tom was going to be a hefty challenge on this spring morning.  The goal beyond being in the outdoors on that crisp morning was simply to have Daniel hear his first gobbling turkey.  Anything beyond that would be bonus and a blessing.

We walked about a half mile in the dark and reached our first calling point just as day broke.  After twenty minutes of observing and calling with no response, it was evident the brisk March wind had the turkeys locked down and silent.  After an hour of walking and calling we still had not seen nor heard Daniel’s gobbler.  Frustrating as it was, I realized it also showed our teenage hunter that it’s not always as easy as it looks on the Outdoor Channel.

We jumped in the truck and off to the next tract of land that a friend of ours had offered up when he learned Daniel had never been turkey hunting.  After nearly two miles of walking up and down hills, a lone hen appeared far off in a field.  Daniel got his first look at a wild turkey while on the hunt and it encouraged us to keep after it.  After another half hour of hunting, there was still no sign or sound of El’ Goblero, so breakfast plans were in order.  Some days the birds just don’t cooperate but we all had the satisfaction of just being outdoors.

On our way back to the house, Steve was giving son Daniel the “it ain’t easy” talk of encouragement.  I decided to make one final stop before we waved the official white flag.  I had planted an acre of chufa I got from the NWTF along a gas line on my property.  This gas line was visible from a county road with a good pair of binoculars.  I stopped the truck and glassed the line.  Sure enough four hundred yards away were multiple turkeys feeding in the chufa patch.  I checked my watch, ten a.m., the hunt had just begun.  At that moment, I don’t know who was more excited in that truck, the teenager or the two grown men.

The stalk was on but it wouldn’t be easy.  We belly crawled through a thicket up to the gas line.  Daniel was in stealth mode and I could tell he was really enjoying himself.  Papa Steve was coaching up Daniel for the anticipated shot. We set up hoping the turkeys would follow the gas line until they crossed within shotgun range.  They were 75 yards away.  Two large gobblers strutted in the morning sun while rest of the flock scratched in the chufa.  After a long twenty minute wait it finally became apparent the birds would not come within range, so plan B was in order.  We circled around the thicket and belly crawled again up to the gas line, but this time much closer.  We got Daniel positioned just in time as the first hen passed at 40 yards.  At that moment the flock began easing back into the wood line away from our ambush point.  I tried a few small clucks on my slate call to entice their curiosity.  It worked and as the one curious hen came searching, a nice jake followed behind her.  At that moment Daniel fired off a shot that echoed down the gas line.  His aim was true and the jake dropped in his tracks.  We all jumped up in a dead sprint of jubilation and met at the turkey.  Daniel’s eyes were as big as softballs.  There was a look of excitement in his eyes that words just can’t explain.  He just stood there grinning too young to understand the measure of what he had just accomplished on his first trip turkey hunting.  I don’t know who was happier, Steve or myself but what I do know is Daniel was hooked for life.

Turkey hunting is a great way to enjoy the outdoors.  But take a kid hunting for the first time and the experience can be one of the most satisfying experiences of your life.  It was for me.  I can only hope twenty years from now Daniel will be somewhere in the turkey woods introducing another kid to the great outdoors.  Nothing compares to the Outdoor Lifestyle……..Pass it On.

With a lot of emphasis on hunting and fishing, it is always interesting to find out what other outdoor passions people pursue.  It is even more interesting to find out what the youth of this country are doing to spend time in the outdoors.  With so much media attention given to our youth’s obsession to video games and other indoor activities, we set out to find what today’s young people and tomorrow’s leaders are doing to experience the outdoors.

Ryan Farmer, a senior in Columbus, Georgia, finds his passion for t he outdoors through photography.  I caught up with Ryan the other day and found out a little more about his interests.  Although he bought his first camera two years ago, it wasn’t until last year that he really began to pursue his interest in photography.  It all began with the decision to learn more about photography for his senior project.  The senior project at Ryan’s high school is designed to expand a student’s knowledge in an area which interests them.  Some students have decided to learn how to play a musical instrument, another learned how to fly an airplane.  Ryan chose photography, took a variety of classes, and began working with his mentor, Mr. George Batistini, on a photographic project involving rural churches in the Southwest Georgia area.  He will complete this project this Spring and will present it to his classmates and teachers as the final stage of his senior project.

Ryan told me he loves being outdoors and capturing the things he loves on film.  While photos of people are the most challenging to him, flowers and landscape shots are what he is most passionate about….and he says the Fall is his favorite time of the year!

We will be highlighting some of Ryan’s photos on the website and hope you will enjoy seeing nature through the eyes of a teenager! No matter what your age, don’t stop asking yourself what your outdoor passion is, and don’t hesitate to find a new outdoor passion to share with others.

2010….I can hardly believe it’s a new decade, my son turned 16,  and the next time we face a new decade, he will be 26…..notice I didn’t mention I would be ten years older as well.  It is moments like these that make me realize that the time we as family spend together is priceless and is always cherished.  It also makes me realize how much the great outdoors has played a part in our family time.  Each year my wife makes a scrapbook for both of our moms highlighting all of the things we did as a family and almost all of our family’s activities for this year took place oudoors.  No matter what the season or activity,  we seem to be doing it….outdoors

Just this weekend as cold as it was, we found the time to take a walk through the woods, and of course, hunt.  Yes, we froze, but it felt invigorating to be out there and more importantly, memories were made, the pictures were taken for next year’s scrapbook…. and that’s all that counts.  Hope you have a great year enjoying the outdoors too.

Personally, it’s a time in my life to reflect on the memories of seasons past.  Memories with friends and family in the field, or just those early morning breakfast gatherings and the smell of coffee and bacon in the skillet.  The older I get, the more thankful I am of each season I’m able to just be part of it.  To be able to sit in the stillness of a crisp autumn morning, one with nature and watch the orange sun peek over the horizon is nothing less than a blessing.  Squirrels cutting acorns from the tree tops to the deer below, owls hooting, blue jays singing, and turkeys flying from their morning roost are all part of another daily routine of morning activities in the autumn woods.

I’m often asked by the unfortunate people of this world, how I could rise so early in the day and search my way through the darkness of the forest to sit on stand all morning not guaranteed anything but the rising of the sun only to return home empty handed.  I just tell them I’ve never once returned home empty handed but they never understand.  Opening Day has come again, so don’t miss the opportunity of the rest of your lifetime.

But with a little know-how and some creativity, you may be closer to your dream than you realize.

Let’s look at the options.

Traditional mortgage lenders are where most of us have experience in borrowing money for real estate. Unfortunately, most of these lenders have little experience or interest in raw land. For buying land, I think you will find an easier road to borrowing if you look elsewhere.

I’ve always had good luck with smaller community banks, particularly ones where the ownership is located in the same area as the land. These people know the area and usually understand land as an asset. For someone with good credit and a steady paycheck, this is a good place to start. Loans can be structured with monthly payments, quarterly payments or annual payments, and can be set up as either interest-only or principle and interest. Rates are generally higher than those for a home mortgage, and most banks are only going to finance about 75-80 percent of the purchase price.

As far as commercial lenders go, there is no better avenue (in my opinion) than the Farm Credit system. While originally oriented toward agriculture, this network of cooperatives (which are partially client-owned) offers loans on land to anyone, not just farmers. Loan structures are similar to mortgages, with 20-year amortization and 80 percent loan-to-value being the maximum. You will be required to qualify for any loan, just as you would with a mortgage, but some loans are based primarily on credit score, dramatically reducing the paperwork and speeding up the qualification process.

Some borrowers, however, just don’t look good on paper. Whether it’s due to bad credit, being self employed, or having recently changed jobs, some people appear to be marginal candidates even though they have the means to pay for the land they want.

But all is not lost. Some landowners actually prefer to owner-finance the land they are selling. You just have to ask. Typically, owners who are willing to owner-finance have an undesirable tax consequence headed their way if they leave the closing table with a pile of cash. They can mitigate this through owner financing. You are still going to need some cash, of course, but quite often there is no credit check.

Owners usually secure their loan with your down payment and the structure of the contract. Often, they will use a “contract for deed” arrangement, where you don’t actually get title until you make the final payment. If you default on the loan, they get to keep your money AND their land. For most landowners, this is a pretty good guarantee that you will pay as promised.

One final option that most people don’t consider is using your IRA as a source of cash for your purchase. In addition to financial instruments, your IRA can also invest in land. Now, most IRA trustees or “holders” don’t allow land as an investment, but some do. If you have money sitting on the sidelines waiting for the stock market to come back, you might consider this.

Of course, be sure to discuss any of these options with your attorney and financial advisor to make sure that you fully understand all the legal, financial and tax implications for your particular situation.

One of the core principles of the Greenwood Project is that land is an investment that is to be enjoyed.  When you choose to lock your liquid assets in land, you are getting more than a piece of property,  you are getting a place to experience the outdoors or create lasting memories.  Land is the only investment vehicle that will bring you more than just revenue; think of the time spent riding the ATV, Cooking out with family, or just camping on the farm.  The enjoyment of the land ownership experience is an important component to investing your hard earned money into land.

The problem that most of us have when it comes to buying land is we feel lost and the task seems overwhelming.  The fear of failure has stopped many investment deals, some of which may have been highly profitable.  The reality is we are not born with the knowledge or competency to make these investment decisions and so we back away from the opportunity.  There is a tremendous gap that exist in the minds of many “would be” land investors when it comes to the HOW of land investing.

It is the purpose of Greenwood Project to bridge the gap and make the connection between “I want to. . .” and “I did it . . . .”  The Greenwood Project has an entire educational series on how to buy land.  Land investment is only difficult if you do not have the right resources and knowledge and “Maximizing the Land Ownership Experience” is the resource you need to acquire the knowledge necessary to make that investment in land you have always wanted.

The term “Conservation Land Buyer” is routinely used to describe people who use their financial resources to acquire lands for the specific purpose of conservation.  These folks whatever their circumstances are using their financial means (which is quite often large) to “give back” or protect the earth in a way that most of us see as unattainable.

It is a noble gesture.

It is not, however a gesture limited to “nobility” or the affluent.  In fact, anyone who purchases, inherits, or already owns land, regardless of their financial means or the size of their acreage has a RESPONSIBILITY to care for it in a way that conserves it for future generations.  But here’s the good news.  Stewardship of our natural resources…..and by that I mean conservation oriented land management….not only enhances the natural resources, but the land value and the ownership experience, as well. The better you treat the land; the better the land treats you!

And here’s more good news…….You don’t have to be obscenely wealthy to play the game.  In fact, the large majority of privately held land in this country is not the playground of the wealthy, but rather the backyards, hunting lands, gentleman’s farms, and retirement getaways of the ordinary.

People just like you.

But here’s the best news.  Ordinary people……..doing ordinary things…..can achieve extraordinary results with a little land and a little know-how.  Whether you want to reduce your carbon footprint, enhance wildlife habitat, maximize the forest resources, restore native grasslands, or simply to have a nice place to retire…..you can make a difference!

So, get involved.  Get educated.  Get connected to the resources available to you.  Find out about wetlands management, wildlife habitat improvement, conservation easements, stream side management, Conservation Reserve Programs, The US Forest Service, NRCS, The Farm Bill, USDA, State and Local conservation programs.  Find out how these programs can benefit not only the land, but the landowner, as well.

If you want to know where to get started, just dig around on this site for lots of great information.  If you don’t find what you are looking for here, we’ll find it for you.  Just call us, or post a comment below with your question.

If you give……you get.