Land Management Services

Planning and Development

Today’s small to medium size Midwestern farms are improving their land stewardship through integrated land management programs. These farms may have some history that includes crop rotation and erosion control, but most planning and utilization of land resources has been based primarily upon economic need. Ownership of small farms is changing from traditional farming families to a new breed of landowners with suburban backgrounds and lifestyles. Responsible care and good stewardship presents a formidable challenge for such new land owners.

Effective land management begins with an assessment of individual and family goals and aspirations with regard to a new life in the country. Prior to the development of a long term land management plan, the economic, educational, recreational, and retirement needs of couples and families should be evaluated. In some cases, landowner resource needs are purely recreational and may require only cosmetic land maintenance planning or wildlife and aquatic resource management. Other owners may want to include agricultural land use to augment income while preserving and maintaining the ecology and health of their land and wildlife. Alternately, landowners may want to bring to the farm new and alternative agriculture ventures that involve intensive practices such as certified organic or biodynamic production of crops such as organic soybeans, fruits, vegetables or grains. In the past decade new agriculture systems such as permaculture and sustainable land management systems, such as prairie and woodland restoration, have become popular with many new landowners who are very concerned with land and wildlife conservation.

LMS Consulting Services offers a range of services from estate planning to contract land development and management:

• Farmstead Estate Planning:

  • Personal goal assessment, short term and long term goals, economic need and retirement planning, establishing land trusts.

• Land Resource Assessment:

  • Land resource assessment, soil mapping, testing and amendment, geology, vegetation and water resources, land topography and watershed analysis, solar access and soil fertility. Ecological assessment for species diversity and wildlife habitat.

• Assessment of Agriculture Potential and Economic Development:

  • Woodland management, timber resources, woodlots and firewood, orchards, beehives and herbs, culinary, medicinal, exotics and aromatics.
  • Prairie restoration, grasses and forbs seeding, rotational burning/mowing management.
  • Wildlife habitat management and planning, establishment of animal habitat and natural food sources.
  • Permaculture system design for alternative agriculture ventures, conservation of soil, grassland and woodland.

• Contract Services:

  • Prairie planning, seed acquisition, preparation and planting, burning/ mowing management.
  • Woodland assessment, development, and management.
  • Construction of swales, ponds, and lagoons.
  • Feng Shui landscaping.