The Value of Land
Tim Hammerich
News Reporter
It’s tempting in agriculture to see land through the lens of what it can produce. LandTrust CEO Nic De Castro says creating opportunities to see rural areas in a new way is valuable for both landowners and communities. His company connects landowners with outdoor recreationists.
De Castro… “ I do think that there's an immense amount of intrinsic value that our landowners have gotten out of hosting people from all over, different walks of life and different parts of the country. And I would say that—look, almost all these places are multi-generation. By definition they have lived and worked there their whole lives, and it kinda becomes mundane to them. And then to see their ground, their property, their operation through somebody's new eyes has been very rewarding. You know, these are very rural communities, and having people come in from other places is I think kind of refreshing sometimes.”
De Castro sees a big economic opportunity here for landowners.
De Castro… “ Beyond just kind of like keeping things from a cultural perspective, but also, we kind of look like a rural economic development business, right? Because not only is the family that's listing their land on LandTrust and hosting people making money directly from this, but also you have people driving across country. They're gonna buy gas in town, eat at the diner, drink at the bar. They're bringing in economic development into that little town, just like you were saying.”
Learn more about LandTrust at landtrust.com.
