Landowner Profile Descriptions

Ms. Sanders’ thesis is a better source for this information, but a brief description of each landowner profile is below.

BORN TO THE LAND folks have a strong connection to the land. Think of these owners as those who have grown-up on the property, still live on the land and have activity worked the land most of their life. They speak of generations that farmed or ranched the land before them and have a sentimental attachment to that particular piece of property. They generate at least some of their livelihood from the land. Although Born to the Land owners feel a sense of responsibility for the land and want to care for it to benefit future generations, they are less willing to make the sacrifices to transition to a wildlife conservation operation. Generally, this group disapproves of government interference in their land management, but economics often necessitates accessing government programs for financial assistance.

AG BUISINESS landowners do not feel a strong personal connection to the land and are much more open to selling their land than the other two groups. More connected to their business operation than to the land, they have little sentimental attachment to a particular piece of property. Most of the folks in this category come from successful business backgrounds and focus on creating a profitable agricultural business. They are willing to initiate wildlife conservation activities if they can profit from doing so. This group is least likely to participate in government programs or subsidies. These owners have similar values about government programs as the Born to the Land group but are different in that they have the financial resources to achieve their goals on the land without government assistance.

REBORN TO THE LAND owners show a strong connection to the land. This group consists mostly of people with a successful business background but have not actively worked the land most of their life. Unlike the Ag Business group, Reborn to the Land property owners focus on the land for recreation, getting back to their roots and the aesthetic value of the land. There is a strong sense of stewardship, or responsibility, to take care of the land. These landowners worry less about making a profit but rather focus on personal satisfaction. A trait that distinguishes this group form the other two is the acknowledged need for information. They seek information from just about any source, including federal agencies, local agencies, neighbors and local businesses, such as the local feed storeowner, dozer operators and others. This group expresses a passion for doing “what is right” on the property and is willing to listen to others with more experience. Reborn to the Land owners are more willing to initiate wildlife conservation activities even if they will not financially profit from it. They are more interested in technical assistance from government agencies than financial programs.

The purpose in providing landowner profiles for this discussion is so that when I describe certain activities at Dogwood Ranch, someone may ask: “Why would anyone do that?” or “Why do it that way when there is an easier, faster or cheaper way to do it?” The answer will often be the same: Because I am a Reborn to the Land property owner.

Landowner Profiles

“Re-Born to the Land”. That is my landownership profile.

Several years ago, maybe 2005, Texas A&M graduate student, Jennifer Clearley Sanders, gave a wonderful presentation about landowners’ relationship with the land. Sanders presented to a landowners’ educational weekend seminar in Brenham. Her presentation has stuck in my mind as one of her categories of landowners described us so well (for future reference, when I say “we” or “us” it is not the royal We or US but rather “we” or “us” as in my spouse and me). One stated objective of Sanders’ research was to determine if there are differences between “traditional” landowners and “newer” landowners in their attitudes about the land. Okay, I’m “newer” landowner.

After conducting interviews with Texas landowners, Sanders place landowners into one of three general landowner profiles, which describe the landowners’ relationship with the land: 1) Born to the Land; 2) Ag-Business; and, 3) Re-Born to the Land. (I recall from her talk a category “New to the Land”, but her literature uses the three above so, let’s go with them). When she described the folks in the Re-Born to the Land profile, it was as if she secretly spied on our activities at Dogwood Ranch! However, I note with dismay that this category of landowner is, to some degree, vilified by the Born to the Land landowners. In order to understand the mindset and spirit of Dogwood Ranch activities, a brief description of Sanders’ landowner profiles will be helpful. If you are truly interested in Sanders’ research, I recommend reading her master’s thesis paper; here is the link.

http://repository.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/2412/etd-tamu-2005A-WFSC-sanders.pdf?sequence=1