USA Major Land Uses What are the special characteristics of land? 1)Fixed location 2)Finite 3)Diverse 4)Biological 5)Expensive 6)Large quantities 7)High transfer costs 8)Infrequent turnover 9)Legal restrictions and rights Is land a resource or a commodity? Which of the above characteristics are relevant to each concept? Classify.

USA Major Land Uses Contrasting theories of nature FeatureArcadianImperial SpiritualitypaganJudeo-Christian Natural orderUnity of diversityMechanical detachable parts Meaning of natureBeauty, lifeProductivity, resources understandingNatural historyLaboratory sciences Practical implications Preservation/ conservation Industrialization

USA Major Land Uses Land uses issues by location: rural vs. urban. Add the relevant adjectives in each of the cells. FeatureRuralUrban Biological Diversity Size of parcels Cost of land/unit Units of governments Land/capital intensity Legal restrictions

USA Major Land Uses Land use conflicts vary with scale. Merchant vs. merchant, e.g., location of bus stop Merchants vs. homeowners: location of public parking or playground Neighborhood vs. Neighborhood: location of new junior high school City vs. cities/counties: location of new shopping mall or industries State vs. state: location of military base, nuclear waste dump Country(ies) vs. country(ies): trade policies, etc.

USA Land Grants Excludes Alaska. Source: pls1-2_02.pdf pls1-2_02.pdf DISPOSITION OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, AcresPercent Type of Disposition Acres Disposition by methods not elsewhere classified /a/303,500, Granted or sold to homesteaders /b/287,500, Total Unclassified and Homestead Dispositions591,000, Granted to States for: Support of common schools77,630, Reclamation of swampland64,920, Construction of railroads37,130, Support of miscellaneous institutions /c/21,700, Purposes not elsewhere classified /d/117,600, Canals and rivers6,100, Construction of wagon roads3,400, Total Granted to States328,480, Granted to railroad corporations94,400, Granted to veterans as military bounties61,000, Confirmed as private land claims /e/34,000, Sold under timber and stone law /f/13,900, Granted or sold under timber culture law /g/10,900, Sold under desert land law /h/10,700, Total Miscellaneous Dispositions224,900,

USA Major Land Uses The contiguous 48 states cover nearly 1.9 billion acres. The majority of this area (74 percent) is in nonfederal, rural land uses -- nearly 1.4 billion acres, which is composed of rangeland, forest land, cropland, pastureland, other rural land. A subset of these lands is defined as prime farmland -- those lands with the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, fiber, and oilseeds. In 2001, there were about 330 million acres of prime farmland (24%) in the contiguous United States.

USA Major Land Uses The Economic Research Service of the US Dept. of Agriculture classifies counties into several types, depending on their economies.

USA Major Land Uses Counties are classified into urban types.

USA Major Land Uses The rural-urban continuum in the USA by county.

USA Major Land Uses Types of landAcres (mil)Percent Metro land central cities and suburbs urban fringe60.31 exurban ring Non-metro land1, commuting rings urban areas in rural areas countryside1, wilderness USA total1,907100

USA Major Land Uses

Reasons for buying land: 1) Agricultural production: food and fiber 2) Recreational uses: lakeshores, ski huts, hobby farms and ranches 3) Hedge against inflation: average land prices rose 900% was the third consecutive year of big jumps in agricultural land values since the 1970s. In 2013 land prices in the Midwest rose 16%. 4) Tax dodge: capital gain taxes have historically been lower than income tax brackets (commonly by 50%) The trend to buy rural land for recreational uses has resulted in land divisions. Over 20 million acres are now owned in parcel sizes smaller than 50 acres. “Parcellation” severely limits future commodity production on these lands.