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Landowner Regulations

aimfirst

aimfirst

Member
I am very hesitant to post this question after seeing some replies to a thread back in August...so please be gentle with me :eek:

I am a landowner of just under 100 acres. I do not farm the land, but I have done TSI, planted large areas of CRP (but I am not getting any income or enrolled in CRP). I also allow a neighbor to plant/cut/bale hay on about 8 acres. I do not charge him, I have him "watch over" my property in return. I also registered with the dnr years ago(2006) as a landowner and have been buying tags that way. I only hunt on my land and in fact have only gotten 1 deer in the last 3 years. So, I am more of an outdoorsman than a "harvester". So, in my mind I am law abiding and play by the rules. I don't party hunt at all and mainly bow hunt. I have sold firewood to neighbors, but that is the extent of any income. I hope to do a timber sale in the future(potential income)

When I read the post from last month and as I read the regulations today, I am not a landowner from a hunting standpoint. I know some of you will jump on my situation and say I am poaching/hunting illegally but I swear when I registered as a landowner...I was going so in good faith. I had heard for years before buying this land that "landowners get special deals on tags" so to be honest I didn't read all of the fine print obviously.

My question is just: what is your opinion based on my story? Should I be able to buy LOT tags under the regs? Or should I be buying the full price tags? I am not concerned paying full price since I really only hunt bow and sometimes first shotgun. So, I'd be getting two tags at the most. Just curious to see how you all see it. I am curious how to interpret my haying agreement or low volume firewood sales as "LOT" eligible. Thank you.
 
You should be fine as a resident landowner. The producing income part would apply if you weren't the landowner but claiming tenant status.
 
If you are an Iowa resident I think you qualify. I do not understand why you have to be producing an income from the property to considered a land owner. You pay the mortgage, the taxes and any up keep. My thought is that if you own the property then you are a landowner and should be entitled to the tags. What if you own an acreage and have deer demolishing your landscaping, and it could easily be greater than $1000.00, why can't you get a reduced tag price to thin the herd?

You are improving the timber quality for future income, maybe in a hundred years, but it is potential income. Do you have a written management plan from a forester? That will show that you are making an effort to improve the value of the property.
 
Doesn't really matter what the collective thinks. What matters is what you think. Are you OK with getting LOTs? Then do or don't. Be comfortable with your decision.

Having said that, technically I qualify for LOTs but I didn't feel like I was following the spirit of the law. I believe you more than qualify (residency withstanding)but the choice is up to you. Whatever you chose, enjoy the hunt. If you can't enjoy the hunt then you made the wrong choice.
 
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Thanks guys. I should have said I am an Iowa resident. What got me hung up when reading the regs and the post from last month was the "farm operation" part. I definitely did not feel I was in the wrong the last few years,but reading that post had me rethink(overthink) things.
 
As a side question why have you planted so many acres of crp without enrolling it in the program? No crop history?
 
Yes, no crop history before i bought it. It was a pasture full of small honey locusts when i bought the place. I wish i could be getting some income at all from crp.
 
Landowner/Tenant licenses are valid only on the farm unit of the owner or tenant. The qualifying landowner or tenant does not have to
reside on the farm, but must qualify under the following definitions:
“Farm unit” means all parcels of land that are in tracts of 2 or more contiguous acres that are operated as a unit for agricultural
purposes and are under the lawful control of the landowner or tenant. Parcels of land in a farm unit need not be contiguous, but all will
be considered part of a single farm unit regardless of how those parcels are subdivided for agricultural or business purposes.
“Family member” means a resident of Iowa who is the spouse or child of the owner or tenant and who resides with the owner or
tenant. A “child” must be under 18 years old, or may be 18 or 19 if still in high school or enrolled in a high school equivalency degree
(i.e. G.E.D.) program.
“Owner” means an owner of a farm unit who is a resident of Iowa and who is one of the following:
A. Is the sole operator of the farm unit.
B. Makes all farm operating decisions but contracts for custom farming or hires labor for all or part of the work on the farm unit.
C. Participates annually in farm operation decisions or cropping practices on specific fields of the farm unit that are rented to a tenant.
D. Raises specialty crops on the farm unit including, but not limited to, orchards, nurseries or trees that do not always produce annual income but
require annual operating decisions about maintenance or improvement.
E. Has all or part of the farm unit enrolled in a long-term agricultural land retirement program of the federal government.
F. Rents the entire farm to an adult child who operates the farm.
G. An owner DOES NOT mean a person who owns a farm unit and who employs a farm manager or third party to operate the farm unit, or a
person who owns a farm unit and who rents the entire farm to a tenant who is responsible for all farm operations (unless the renter is the
owner’s child).
 
If your paying taxes on the ground, then I would say you are entitled to a landowner tag. Just my opinion I guess, but if you own the ground, but have no income from the ground, it shouldn't matter one bit if you are the one that made the investment and pay the taxes.
 
If the DNR registers you and gives you the tag, then it's legal. It's their fault if they don't make sure you qualify before issuing.. If they tried to bust you, it would be their fault too of they didn't look into it.
 
breiner11 said:
If the DNR registers you and gives you the tag, then it's legal. It's their fault if they don't make sure you qualify before issuing.. If they tried to bust you, it would be their fault too of they didn't look into it.
Click to expand...

Really registering without knowing the law. And the dnr would be at fault. What world do you come from?
 
Really registering without knowing the law. And the dnr would be at fault. What world do you come from?
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Registration requires listing a tax id number, if I remember correctly. Rather easy for the DNR to make a call on whether you qualify.
 
It looks like (according to the law) that if you manage trees/timber you qualify? Correct?

Sounds like you are fine
 
You qualify if you allow your neighbor to cut and bale hay on your farm. You are the sole person that's gives the go ahead about farming decisions.How much he gives you is irrelevant. If it would make you feel better tell him to write you a check for 1 dollar. You are for sure good! I would just call the local co and ask.
 
I have a friend who was issued a landowner tag but shouldn't have been. Two family members unknowingly got a landowner tag (even though they farm thousands of acres, you only get 1). He shot a great buck. DNR realized the mistake, took the deer, and he lost all hunting privileges for a year. Who your tax dollars support means jack ####.

Also, the regulations can be found here. http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/LandownerAssistance/LandownerRegistration/LandownerScenarios.aspx
 
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HawkeyeStateHogs said:
Also, the regulations can be found here. http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/LandownerAssistance/LandownerRegistration/LandownerScenarios.aspx
Click to expand...

The only issue with the original post that I can find is in the above link. Bottom section of the page it has and "issue" section. One of which is "Issue: Qualifying Land
Land must be used for agricultural purposes and gain or enrolled in a set aside program to be eligible for Landowner-Tenant licenses. A landowner with two or more acres who is not receiving financial gain from the land is not eligible for Landowner-Tenant licenses. Having a garden, mowing the lawn or planting landscaping trees does not qualify." Basically saying you need to make money off the AG use. So, like jclaws said, have your neighbor pay you a dollar to harvest hay and you should be covered. This is also obviously covering the fact that normal acreages don't count.
 
aimfirst--I don't know how your farm lays, but if you have any steep ditches with former pasture or open ground you may qualify for riparian buffer program CRP. This does not require cropping history. The payment is usually under $100 an acre, but they will pay 90% cost share on trees planted.

The key is long term ag retirement program(15 year contract) which qualifies for your landowner tag

Check with NRCS/FSA
 
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