Agriculture Magazine, September 2016

September 2016

M A G A Z I N E In this issue

Local produce program St. John’s Wort Caring for senior horses and more!

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in this issue MSU Ag research program............... 5 Ravalli County fairgrounds................ 8 St. John’s Wort................................. 10 Caring for a senior horse................. 12 Keeping chickens............................. 16 Agriculture Heritage notebook...... 18 Getting top price for your land...... 22

MAGAZINE How did you like this issue of Agriculture Magazine?

Do you have any ideas you’d like to share with us for our next issue?

Let us know. Sent comments to: Ravalli Republic, 232 West Main, Hamilton, MT 59840 or editor@ravallirepublic.com Photos on this page provided by Perry Backus & Wendy Beye Cover Photo by Perry Backus Agriculture Magazine is published by the Ravalli Republic & Missoulian Newspapers, divisions of Lee Enterprises Mark Heintzelman, Publisher Perry Backus, Associate Editor Kathy Kelleher, Lauren Ford & Jodi Lopez, Sales Dara Saltzman, Production & Design Agriculture Magazine is copyright 2016, Ravalli Republic.

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Page 4 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2016

ravalli county museum and historical society photo archives

Quast Station beet dump in 1935.

Agriculture Magazine, September 2016 - Page 5

PERRY BACKUS / RAVALLI REPUBLIC

MSU western agricultural research center revamps horticulture research and local produce program

by Jenny Lavey MSU News Service

CORVALLIS -- For the last 109 years, the Montana State University Western Agricultural Research Center (WARC), has been nestled on the floor of Montana’s Bitterroot Valley in Corvallis, providing meaningful agriculture research.

Today, WARC is seeing a resurgence of horticulture research, new facilities, staff and faculty – all within growing research profile associated

with fruit and vegetable production for local markets and intensively managed small farms in Montana. Amy Hutton, local produce-to-market food coordinator at WARC, said the Bitterroot Valley and much of Montana is seeing an increased interest in local food markets.

The newly revamped research presence at WARC is reflective of the Bitterroot Valley’s growing markets for local produce. According to the Montana State Department of Agriculture, Ravalli County alone hosts nearly 16 different

Page 6 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2016

farmers markets as more restaurants and commercial businesses are looking to purchase locally-grown products, which now include poultry. Hamilton is also the new center of a poultry co-op processing center at Homestead Organics Farm, managed by the Montana Farmers Union, Montana Poultry Growers, Living River Farms and Lake County Community Development.

“There’s certainly a growing market for a deeper connection between local commercial business and local-food producers for our restaurants, groceries and schools,” said Hutton.

“The Bitterroot Valley has the capacity to be a regional model that connects local producers to local businesses.”

Hutton is managing a produce marketing program on behalf of WARC, in collaboration with the Loyal to Local Bitterroot coop, funded by the Montana Department of Agriculture

Specialty Crops Block grant. The new program connects marketing and distribution support for Bitterroot Valley farmers, with an end-goal of jumpstarting an independent, farmer-run marketing and distribution program. The project has a new online sales platform, http://bitterroot. localfoodmarketplace.com, which connects local farmers with interested parties who want to purchase local food.

“The program is in its infancy, though we’re working closely with area farmers and a host of local business,” Hutton said. “As a research center, we’re excited to be a main player in creating a food hub for the Bitterroot Valley that mirrors the area’s agricultural legacy and current localfood economy.”

Zach Miller, superintendent of WARC, is managing a research project that also mirrors a growing market in agriculture produce: berries

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that are rich in antioxidants. Fruits that are rich in antioxidants and health benefits are one of the fastest-growing food items in the country, according the USDA. Miller is researching several berry varieties, such as the goji berry, that might be well-adapted to Montana soils and climate for potential market development.

“Our goal is to eventually expand smallfruit and berry production across Montana,” Miller said. “More and more consumers are looking to local markets for buying and selling small-fruit products and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station has the research capacity to support these trails for a potential viable market for Montana ag producers.”

The center will be hiring a fruit horticulturist this fall to complement the center’s growing fruits research. WARC is looking to the State of Montana for funding for a new research lab and community education building for various educational and community events, which will dovetail with various county-wide programs with Ravalli County Extension.

“There’s a lot happening here and it’s an exciting time for WARC,” Miller said. “Of course, our growth and success is largely due to our previous WARC faculty and staff that helped to establish this center as a critical source of research support for the state and we hope to carry on that mission.”

WARC is one of seven statewide research centers associated with the Montana Agricultural

Agriculture Magazine, September 2016 - Page 7

Experiment Station (MAES). MAES comprises agricultural research of on and off-campus MSU faculty. The research centers are strategically located across Montana to allow research with different soil types, elevations, climate zones and landscapes, and a local advisory council guides the research at each station. The federal Hatch Act of 1887 authorized every national landgrant university to establish an agricultural experiment station, with research reflecting the university’s curriculum.

The Smith-Lever Act in 1914 authorized the Extension Service. MSU College of Agriculture, Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and MSU Extension have been cooperatively serving the land-grant mission and the Montana public for the past 100 years.

For more information about the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, visit http:// agresearch.montana.edu/maes.html. For more information about the station’s research centers, visit http://agresearch.montana.edu/researchcenters.html.

Page 8 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2016

PERRY BACKUS / RAVALLI REPUBLIC

This is Your Ravalli County Fairgrounds

By Rod Freeman Realtor

I joined the Fair Board shortly after the very first Glory Days Celebration, which featured the return of the Senior Pro Rodeo and the addition of the Senior Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame at our Ravalli County Museum. I was motivated to join the Board during as a result of my experiences

while assisting in the promotion of that celebration.

As I traveled the valley visiting with several community groups I discovered that the Ravalli County Fairgrounds was often referred to as the Hamilton Fairgrounds, which created reluctance on the part of some of those groups to actively support a “Hamilton Event.� I also discovered

Agriculture Magazine, September 2016 - Page 9

that the Equestrienne side of the grounds were in need of upgrade, improvement and modernization. Following my selection by the county commissioners to join the Fair Board, I have made it my mission to work with our Fairgrounds Director, Deborah Rogala, and the Board to impact these issues.

We now have an active and dynamic Rodeo Committee with the full support and direction of the Director and the Board insures that the Ravalli County Equestrienne facilities and events are among the very best in the State of Montana. The accomplishments are many and varied but include the scheduling of the Bitterroot Cowboy Ball to honor our Rodeo Sponsors and to raise funds for the physical improvements.

The improvements include moving the Demolition Derby out of the rodeo arena and replacing the arena dirt, adding Sky Boxes to the arena to provide special seating to enhance rodeo viewing, installing new pens to support the 4-H horse program and upgrading and improving the horse barns (in process).

As a result, your Ravalli County Fairgrounds have been able to add special features to the Fair Rodeo performances, such as the giant screen for instant replays. The improved facilities are available to all community Equestrienne organizations to schedule shows, high school and junior rodeos, all the way to supporting individuals or families taking advantage of our open riding program in either arena.

Your Ravalli County Fairgrounds invite everyone in the county to take advantage of this marvelous facility and to schedule your next event with us.

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St John’s Wort

By Christy Schram Ravalli County Weed District

St. John’s wort, also known as “common St. John’s Wort”, “Klamath weed”, “common goatweed”, and “tipton weed.” It prefers poor dry, gravelly, or sandy soil in full sun. It can be found primarily in right-of-ways, roadsides, meadows,

dry pastures, rangelands, fields, open woods, waste places, and disturbed ground.

The perennial, upright forb typically grows one to two feet tall with numerous stems and somewhat woody at the plants base. Stems are reddish in color and can be single or multiple with two opposite longitudinal ridges. The

Agriculture Magazine, September 2016 - Page 11

stems can branch many times towards the top of the plant.

Leaves are lance-shaped, opposite on the stem, and on to two inches long with smooth margins. Each leaf contains tiny pinpoints of holes which are visible when held up to the light.

Flowers are yellow and star-shaped with five petals. Tiny black dots can be found along the edges of the petals. Those tiny black dots are the black oil glands. Flowers are found in clusters at the ends of the stems and are one inch or less in diameter. Seeds are three sectioned pods filled with many dark brown seeds. Each plant can produce up to 100,000 seeds. St. John’s Wort reproduces by an aggressive root system and by seeds.

The sticky seed capsules can be dispersed short distances by wind and longer distances by water and adhering to humans and animals.

First year the plant does not produce flowers or seeds and it may take two to several years to reach maturity. Flowering occurs from late spring through autumn. The seeds germinate throughout the spring and summer or following autumn rains. The seeds can remain viable in the soil for several years.

St John’s wort is native to Asia, Europe and northern Africa. The plant was introduced to the United States on multiple occasions by European settlers interested in the plant’s medicinal properties. It is believed that the weed escaped cultivation in Pennsylvania in 1793. St Johnswort was established in many western states by the early 1900s. This plant is toxic to livestock when consumed and especially light-colored skinned animals. It can cause light sensitivity, as well. As of 2013 the St. John’s Wort is on the state weed list as a Priority 2B.

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Page 12 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2016

Caring for a senior horse

By Dr. Linda Kauffman Burnt Fork Veterinary Clinic

Preparation for your horse’s senior years is a lifelong endeavor. This entails, among other things, proper nutrition, a good de-worming

PERRY BACKUS / RAVALLI REPUBLIC

program for his living situation, and proper dental care for most or all of his life.

Nutrition: Most animals - if they survive into their “golden years”- have changes in their dietary needs, and this is related to both age and dental health. As animals age, they are less

Agriculture Magazine, September 2016 - Page 13

able to absorb and utilize nutrients than when they were younger, and the result is that they do not maintain acceptable weight and body condition scores. I have seen this in my own horse as well as many clients’ horses. Suddenly one winter, the horse just doesn’t winter as well or look as good as before. This may also be due to dentition problems that have recently occurred, such as an abscessed, fractured tooth or loss of a tooth or teeth.

Generally, when a horse needs a boost in nutrition due to aging, I recommend adding a complete pelleted feed of some type such as Purina’s Equine Senior or Triple Crown Senior.

Pelleted feed is better because it digests more easily and the nutrients are better utilized than something like whole grain feeds such as Three Way, or COB, which is made up of corn, oats, and barley. The amount your horse needs will vary depending on weather, time of year, and teeth condition.

For most geriatrics that are in the 1000-1200 pound range, I recommend starting with four to five pounds of pelleted feed per day. You may increase this amount depending upon the manufacturer’s recommendation. A good qual-

ity forage (hay) should be available in adequate amounts, although what is adequate depends again on the individual animal. For the most part, animals need one and a half to two percent of their body weight per day in feed, and the feed that is available in our area is grass or grass/alfalfa mix hays. Be sure to avoid grain hays, such as oat or barley, which are too coarse and low in protein and energy for our geriatric friends. Straight alfalfa hay is also available and can be used in some cases.

Another important essential for any livestock, especially in the Bitterroot, is the availability of loose mineral.

Our valley is very deficient in many minerals and I recommend offering loose mineral and loose white salt - in separate containers - in a sheltered area available at all PERRY BACKUS / RAVALLI REPUBLIC times. Mineral and salt blocks are also sold at local feed stores; however, our valley is so deficient in minerals that a horse cannot stand and lick a block long enough to get the minerals needed. If you choose to add the loose mineral to your horse’s feed, be sure you take into account the other sources of minerals in the animal’s diet. For example, you could be offering toxic amounts

Page 14 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2016

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of selenium if you are feeding your horse a senior feed, another joint or vitamin/mineral supplement, and the loose mineral. You could be exceeding the 20 ppm per day limit of this mineral which would be dangerous for your horse. If your horse will not eat loose mineral, be sure to use a mineral salt block and not a trace mineral block. The percentage of salt in a mineral block should only be two to three percent.

I have found probiotics to be very helpful in older horses and any horse with a gastrointestinal problem. High quality and quantity of probiotics can be used for aiding digestion in the small intestine and preventing sugars and starches from reaching the large intestine where their digestion in the large intestine can add to problems such as Cushing’s, metabolic disorder, or laminitis. My preference is Fastrack not only because of the high content of some types of yeast, but also because it provides food for the good bacteria that cannot be packaged. More and more feed companies are adding probiotics to their products, but in my opinion, to get an adequate level of probiotics from feed, animals would have to eat more than recommended amounts.

Another nutritional consideration is how the horses are housed - on pasture or dry-lot (in a pen or corral). Those in dry lot situations are much more prone to “sand colic.” This is a condition where the horse inadvertently picks up sand as feed is eaten off the ground and “scrounges” for any fallen morsels or sprigs of grass that may appear in warmer months. The amount of sand consumed that causes problems will vary with the horse, but I’ve known personally of horses with 50-60 pounds of sand accumulated in the caecum (unfortunately found after euthanasia). To avoid this problem, psyllium (which is found in Metamucil for humans) can be fed on a regular basis to help

move accumulated sand out of the digestive system. Psyllium is available in a variety of products; a well-known commercial brand is Sand Clear.

Housing: Housing is another consideration.

Animals accustomed to the weather - with a winter hair coa t- need only an open front shelter (or “loafing shed”) in the Bitterroot Valley to protect them from the wind. Some people prefer to stall their horses and some prefer to blanket them, but most winters this is not necessary. One exception is cold, rainy weather. Once an animal’s coat is soaked through to the skin, the horse is much less resistant to the cold. In these cases, blanketing and/or stalling is advisable until the hair coat is dry or the weather has changed.

Dental Care: Dental care is paramount in the geriatric horse. As I mentioned earlier, hopefully this dental care has begun prior to the animal’s teen years. Regular care beginning at least at age 10 can monitor sharp points, “wave mouth,” early wear and tooth loss. Evaluation of the state of the horse’s mouth (how many effective teeth are left) in combination with the horse’s weight and body score often determine the best diet for that horse. I usually recommend yearly floats or dental exams once a horse hits 16-17 years. If you ensure that your horse’s dental needs are regularly addressed, your horse can live comfortably well into his 20’s or even 30’s. Proper dental care, along with regular de-worming, is probably the most important factor in your horse’s longevity equation.

De-worming: De-worming will continue to be of great importance as your horse enters his golden years. Fecal exams are the best way to monitor his individual worm load. Once you’ve determined the type of worm load your farm or ranch carries, you can de-worm on a regular basis accordingly.

Cushing’s: A very common ailment of older horses is Cushing’s disease which is caused by a pituitary malfunction. This affects 80 percent of horses over 20 years old. Most likely as you’ve driven around our valley, you’ve seen a horse affected with the disease. The classic Cushing’s horse has trouble frequently with founder, or laminitis, and also can be easily recognized by a long curly hair coat that either doesn’t shed out at all or sheds out slowly and incompletely.

Frequently, these horses are obese, sweat profusely, and may also drink and urinate excessively. Untreated, these animals often progress to a diabetic state, weight and muscle loss, and eventually death. However, treatment is available and generally successful with a drug called Pergolide. The sooner a diagnosis is made and treatment begun, the better the long-term prognosis. You cannot cure a horse of Cushing’s, but you can treat the symptoms and make your horse happier and more comfortable.

Vaccinations: Finally, the vaccination protocol you follow for your horse depends on what your geriatric friend is still able to do. In other words, if the horse is still active and is being ridden with other horses off the ranch, I would recommend giving yearly 5-way (Eastern & Western Sleeping Sickness, tetanus, influenza and rhinopneumonitis), Strangles, and West Nile vaccinations. If your horse is a “pasture ornament” that mostly stays on the home place, generally only a 3-way (Eastern & Western Sleeping Sickness and Tetanus) and West Nile are necessary. I would, of course, vary this recommendation if the horse is in a boarding facility or has over-the-fence contact with horses that do get out and about.

Questions: In closing, all of these areas I have addressed can vary greatly depending on your horse’s specific situation, so PLEASE call if you have any questions or contact the veterinarian of your choice.

Page 16 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2016

Keeping Healthy Chickens Greenshoot Media

Chickens are an integral addition to any farm, adding fresh eggs to your refrigerator or those of your customers. If you’re considering investing in a chicken operations, there are some things to keep in mind to make sure your money is well spent.

A major consideration is the diet you should

feed to ensure your chickens are healthy.

Chickens need a balanced feed ration, as well as calcium, fresh fruits, grains and vegetables.

How much feed and how often you feed your chickens can vary by age, so check with farming experts at your local agricultural co-op or even farmer’s market for advice.

Agriculture Magazine, September 2016 - Page 17

WHERE TO FIND CHICKENS Chicken breeding is big business in some parts of the country, so check in with your local breeder for pricing and available options.

Alternatively, you also can find chicks at your local farm and feed stores, or check your local newspaper’s classified ads.

Did you know that chickens can end up in your local animal shelter? You also may be able to find chickens at a rescue or sanctuary that adopts hens from factory farms for use on family ranches or even backyard coops.

HOW TO CARE FOR CHICKENS Like any farm animal in which you can invest, proper care and adequate housing are vital.

Regular daily attention, feed and clean water are essential to raising healthy animals.

The right shelter will help keep your chickens from extreme temperatures. This is especially important for hens and roosters with large single combs because they can be prone to frostbite in colder temperatures. Proper insulation and straw bedding will help keep your chickens warmer during the cold months.

PREDATOR PROTECTION Chickens are vulnerable prey to a large range of predators. From an animal as shifty as a fox to one as domesticated as your dog, your chickens need protection from all potential predators.

This means complete enclosure in a safe hen

house with four solid walls and a sturdy roof.

Plan extra ground reinforcements around your coop and fence, as opossums and dogs can easily dig under faulty framing to attack your chickens. Chickens are an integral addition to any farm, adding fresh eggs to your refrigerator or those of your customers. If you’re considering investing in a chicken operations, there are some things to keep in mind to make sure your money is well spent.

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Agriculture Heritage Notebook The Bitter Root Cultural Heritage Trust

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agricultural history and heritage.

Story and photos by WENDY BEYE

There aren’t very many gothic roof barns in the Bitterroot, but after following a convoluted chain of phone contacts, I’m finally on my way to photograph a beautiful example.

Ron and Roberta Gearhart, the current owners, have graciously agreed to give me a guided tour of their stately barn that lives in the shadow of Mill Creek canyon.

Roberta is waiting for me with the old title abstract, some historic photos of the barn, and the original blueprints that were sent

with what must have been a half a trainload of lumber, corrugated metal roofing, pipe, feeders, waterers, ventilation pipes, and gracefully curved rafters that made up the Jamesway Dairy and Horse Barn kit assembled in 1937 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. This is the first documented kit barn I’ve encountered while pursuing stories of historic barns in the valley.

I’m anxious to begin exploring the barn, but first Roberta and I review the ownership records, and she tells me what she knows

Agriculture Magazine, September 2016 - Page 19

Horse stalls at the Palmer barn.

about the history of the barn. It was built by Bernard Palmer, whose father, William, was an early partner in the Parker Pen Company of Janesville, Wisconsin. Bernard and his wife Caribel purchased a portion of the ranch from Joseph Kronberg in 1934, adding other pieces over the next few years. Kronberg had bought the main parcel from W.E. Alexander in 1913.

Alexander snagged the piece from the original homesteader, John Allnutt in 1910. I later found out that Allnutt succumbed to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in 1914 at the age of 64.

Roberta tells me that Palmer built a large home, no longer standing, about a half mile north of the barn site, where it’s likely he and his family spent their summers. He died in 1945 in Janesville, Wisconsin, and the property was purchased by John and Anna Schick,

who built a small farmhouse near the barn.

They only stayed for a few years, selling to Sam Samuelson in 1949. Samuelson had been born in Denmark in 1910, and immigrated to the United States in 1927. He lived and farmed in Alva, Oklahoma until moving to the Bitterroot in 1949. He married Viola Roberts in 1952, adding her children Jack, Bing, Ilean, and Corky to his family. They all worked hard to make the ranch a success until Sam and Viola retired in 1966, selling to Bill and Marie Piatt. The Piatts sold to Edna Gearhart, Ron’s mother, in 1988. The Piatts earlier parted with the old farmhouse, which was hauled down the road for only a short distance before it began to slide off its transport wheels. The new owners of the house asked the Piatts to sell them 5 acres of land right there, and that’s where the house still resides today. The

Page 20 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2016

A loaded mammoth apple tree near the Palmer barn.

The entrance to the Palmer barn root cellar.

Gearharts live in the comfortable home the Piatts built.

When Roberta and I enter the barn, I am struck by how clean and new the wood inside the barn appears and even smells, almost 80 years after it was hammered into place.

Roberta admits that she carefully sweeps the barn each fall, even though Ron suggests that’s an unnecessary chore. The horse stalls look very modern, and an iron feeder and water bowl served by a stand pipe with valve are mounted in each. The floor of the barn is concrete, providing a solid base for the fourinch steel pipes that rise to support the heavy beams under the loft floor. There are no longer any milking stanchions or drain trough in the area that served the Samuelsons as a milking parlor, but the shiny metal sheeting is still in place on the walls and ceiling of the parlor. Corky Pigman, Viola Samuelson’s daughter, told me the milk was piped into a large tank, then transferred to a truck that hauled it to the Marigold Dairy operation.

The barn’s hayloft is truly a work of art, with row upon row of identical rafters whose lower ends are firmly attached to the ground floor walls. There are no awkward angled braces slanting to the loft floor, as I’ve seen in photos of other gothic-roofed barns. Instead, a several very long boards are nailed in a graceful curve from the peak to the floor of the loft to stabilize the rafters, leaving the space open for easy handling of hay. Hay chutes stretch from near the peak down to stalls on each side of the barn, and large diameter insulated vent pipes lead from the ground floor to the roof crown ventilators. The insulation prevented condensation on the pipes that might ruin hay during the cold winter months. The barn still sports its original corrugated metal roof that keeps the interior dry and in perfect condition. After a quick trip in the Gearhart’s 4-wheeler to see the sparse but still-producing apple orchard, I

Agriculture Magazine, September 2016 - Page 21

thank Roberta for allowing me to photograph such a beautiful barn, and say goodbye.

I later visited with Viola’s daughter, Corky Pigman, who said that Sam raised pigs, sheep, apples, cherries and sold milk from 91 cows that strolled through the metal-lined raised milking parlor, stopping in stanchions to make their contribution to the family treasury. The family harvested hay and stored it loose in the barn’s loft, lifting it from a tractor-drawn wagon with a trip-fork and trolley system.

Cherries were sent to the cannery in Hamilton, and Sam loaded apples in his pickup, personally selling them around the state in the fall.

The apples were stored in a large root cellar just east of the barn. On occasion, when the hard work of making a living eased off for a while, friends and neighbors danced the night away in the barn’s loft.

The Piatts’ son, Kevin, provided a few tales of his own about life on the ranch. He recalled

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accidentally shooting a few holes in the barn roof while trying to eliminate pigeons in the loft; sweating in the summer to pull hay bales off a conveyor to the barn’s upper story; and serving as a ditch rider monitoring the Mill Creek ditches and reservoir on horseback during his college days. (The Samuelsons, Piatts and Gearharts all rode horses up Mill Creek canyon to open and close the irrigation reservoir there.) While pulling a typical boyhood shenanigan, Kevin held the top of a parachute out of the highest window in the barn loft while his buddy, strapped into the chute’s harness, jumped out of the barn door below, dropping to the ground two stories below with a thud. Apparently there were no broken bones involved. The stories of ranch kids and barns are repeated all over the Bitterroot valley, adding color to the history of our agricultural roots.

FARM AND RANCH | REAL ESTATE Page 22 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2016

Get Top Price for Your Land Greenshoot Media

Looking to sell your farm? Once you get over the emotions of letting go of a piece of property that may have long-term family history attached, it’s time to do your homework.

Just like in the residential real estate market,

there are certain seasons that can lead to faster sales because buyers are motivated and looking toward their immediate future.

Whether you decide to sell your land independently or through a real estate agent, there are a few tips to keep in mind that will help ensure a smooth, profitable experience.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK The first step to putting your land on the market is knowing what you paid for the property or what it was worth when you acquired it from a family member. Knowing this information allows you to compare it to today’s value, which will help you decide if your investment was worthwhile.

If you’re not going to make a high-profit sale, are you still interested in unloading the property? There may be determining factors, such as whether you’re ready to retire or if the land has become too much to handle in its entirety.

Work with your Realtor to complete a market value assessment by analyzing the value of the land around you. Gathering this type of information will help you make an educated decision.

HIRE LEGAL AND FINANCIAL HELP Hopefully you own your property outright and can make all final decisions about the sale, but some cases can get a bit complicated. Let’s say your parents are the legal owners but you all have decided that you’ll be keeping the profit.

You could use the help of a local attorney to update the information on the deed filed at the courthouse.

You also should consider hiring a local certified public accountant to help you understand the tax implications of the sale. There are ways to avoid capital gains taxes when you sell your property. Your accountant will be able to walk you through the steps of making a financially wise choice.

Both local attorneys and accountants will understand the legalities associated with land sales specific to your state and region.

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