Valuation of Mineral Rights

Rural Practice Digest - Vol. 1, Issue 7

In the current Issue of the Rural Practice Digest (RPD), I address the valuation of mineral rights. It’s an important issue for landowners where extractable minerals are beneath the surface. There are many factors that are involved when valuing minerals, and the Issue’s lead article takes you through those factors as well as the common valuation methods with examples. I also address the valuation issue in the context of a decedent’s estate and how mineral rights are valued when the land surface is fractionally owned.

Also included in Issue No. 7 is my commentary on the legislation that cleared the Congress late last week - a Continuing Resolution (CR) and the “Social Security Fairness Act” (SSFA). For those of you who aren’t paid subscribers, you can find that commentary also on my blog, but I thought I would also add it to the RPD for completeness purposes. In it, I cover the farm-related provisions in the CR and what the SSFA means for the future of Social Security. Hint - it’s not good.

Another feature of Issue No. 7 is that a bibliography is included to help readers find information contained in past Issues. You find that helpful as a research tool.

On the back page is information about upcoming seminars and events. A big one will occur at Washburn Law School in Topeka, Kansas, on January 24. I will start the day with 2 hours of continuing education - a tax update session and what you need to know before tax filing season starts. That will be followed by a panel discussion on the rural attorney/rural tax practitioner shortage, and then a luncheon followed by an open forum. The panel discussion and open forum will be moderated by John Jenkinson, former farm radio broadcaster and RFD-TV personality, and presently an ag banker in Garden City, Kansas. If you are interested in connecting with law and business students, please attend. Attendance can also be online. More information and registration can be found here:

Info: https://washburnlaw.edu/taxupdate

Register: https://washburnlaw.edu/taxupdateregister

Finally, I make mention of the two national summer 2025 events that I am doing with Paul Neiffer. We will be in Santa Fe, NM, on June 5-6 and in Lancaster, PA, on August 4-5. We hope to see you there.

And… Merry Christmas to all. May you have a blessed Christmas. Thank you for subscribing.