Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 74, Ed. 1 Sunday, October 28, 1979 Page: 31 of 60
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DENTON RECORD-CHRONICLE
Section D
Sunday, October 28,1979
Foreign-owned land statistics misleading*
By KEN ATKINS pany, must report as a foreign land
Regional Editor investor.
While foreign ownership of Although Peterson notes that these
American farm and investment land guidelines are basically fair, his
seems to be on a rapid rise, one complaint is that they do not clearly
Denton County farmer is claiming define the foreign investor’s
that the statistics recently released by relationship to the company, and give
the United States Department of the impression that the investor has a
Agriculture may be misleading controlling interest.
Calvin Peterson of Roanoke has Peterson is unhappy because bis
been protesting to local, state and farm falls under that misun-
federal officials lately that the filing derstanding According to the
guidelines do not distinguish clearly U.S.D.A. statistics, the 1,226-acre
enough the exact relationship a farm which Peterson operates near
foreign investor has with the land. Roanoke is a foreign investment
According to the Foreign Invest- operation. Although there is a foreign
ment and Disclosure Act of 1978, any investor in the property, he said, the
foreign investor holding more than 1 relationship is much different from
acre which produces at least $1,000 the ordinary corporate arrangement,
worth of products in gross sales per "That foreign investor is my
year must report. Likewise, any brother, Randolph, who grew up on
organization created under the laws of this farm, but moved to Canada in
a foreign government or a U.S. 1946 to work on his doctorate at the
organization which has located its University of Toronto. He later
principal place of business outside the became curator of the mammology
United States, or which has 5 percent department at the university, and
of the ownership controlled by one or because of tax purposes he became a
more foreigners or a foreign com- Canadian citizen," Peterson ex-
Questions are raised relating to foreign
control in federal programs
plained.
The Peterson family has owned the
land since 1913, he said. In 1970, when
Peterson's father died, the land was
divided among Peterson’s mother, the
four sons and one daughter and set up
in a corporation with the mother
keeping the controlling interest,
which is how it remains still, he said.
“When they first came out with this
directive to file I asked the people at
the Agriculture Stabilization and Con-
servation Office if I should file, and
although they said it wouldn’t be
considered foreign land, they said I
should file a report anyway just to be
safe," he said.
“In my eyes, whoever read the form
I filled out and sent in to the national
office didn’t read far enough down to
the part where it discusses the
background of the organization.”
Consequently, in midsummer
several farm magazines and
newspapers listed Peterson's land as
a foreign investment. Although he
isn’t sure what the publicity will do for
him, he is concerned that “it’s liable
to cause some problems with the
taxing agencies later on.”
According to ASCS files, Peterson’s
land is the largest tract of foreign-
investment property in Denton
County. It is not, however, the most
valuable holding (based on per acre
price). That belongs to N.V. Plymns,
who lists the Netherlands Antilles as
base of operations. "The Netherlands
seems to be a favorite spot for Arab
corporations to be formed,” said
Blake English, ASCS administrator.
The property is a 10-acre tract on
Lake Lewisville in the Copper Canyon
area with an estimated value of
$109,994. It was purchased by the
Plymnses on June 25, making it the
latest recorded foreign investment in
the county.
A Panamanian investment group,
Inversions Evet, owns 417 acres near
the Collin County line, which it uses
for crop production on a tenant or
sharecropper arrangement.
Another Canadian, Gary F. Moore
of Dawson Creek, British Columbia, is
listed as the owner of 216 acres of
pasture land near Ponder.
Hans Rompf of Mexico City is listed
as the owner of 140 acres on the
Denton-Cooke County line.
Several other foreign holdings are
still in the process of being reported,
English said, and will not show up in
the statistics for several more
months.
According to a recent report by
Texas Agriculture Commissioner
Reagan V. Brown, foreign investors
own 243,368 acres of Texas farm and
ranch land, with a value of
1178,038,784. "This acreage represents
less than two-tenths of one percent of
the total amount of agricultural land
in the state," he added.
"Even though the total holdings in
Texas are comparatively small, there
are some interesting questions raised,
especially relating to the participation
by foreign-controlled land in federal
farm programs," Brown said. “It is
an area that certainly deserves ad-
ditional attention."
The greatest concentration of
foreign-owned land, he said, was
reported in South Texas, particularly
in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The
second largest holdings were reported
in the Blacklands region of north-
central Texas.
Brown also reported that the largest
holdings (42.3 percent) belong to
citizens of Mexico, followed by
Holland, West Germany, Canada,
England, the Bahamas, Panama and
Switzerland.
Fire finalists
Cow-calf clinic set Nov. 6
By ALFRED A. CROIX
County Extension Agent
The North Texas Cow-Calf Clinic will be held at
the auction barn in Gainesville Nov. 6. Coat is $8 and
includes lunch and a copy of the proceedings. Call or
come by the county extension office for a copy of the
program and a pre-registration form. The program
theme is reproduction.
It’s time to start the control of lice on your cattle.
Control them before they build up and cause
problems. Sprays, clips or dust bags can do a good
job. Call the office at 586-3607 for a list of suitable
chemicals.
Horse show at Fair Grounds
to aid Diabetic Association
Many of you will soon receive a survey ques-
tionnaire from the crop and livestock reporting
service. These survey forms are important and
serve as the basis for statistics on production for
each county. If you receive one, please complete it
and mail back to the statistical reporting service.
A record pecan harvest is in the making in Texas
and there should be plenty of good quality pecans
available at reasonable prices. The crop should be
the biggest ever recorded in Texas, with estimaes
calling for some 95 million pounds. This compares
to 38 million pounds last year.
Winners of the Miss Flame and Fire Chief
mascot contest held last week by the Argyle
Volunteer Fire Department were from left,
Shawn Baldwin, 5, Fire Chief Mascot, son of
the Rev. and Mrs. Gary Baldwin; Mary Ann
Moon, Miss Flame, 15, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. L.F. Moon; and Christine Weeks, 6,
Little Miss Flame, daughter of Mr. aad Mrs.
Don Weeks.
Overseeding pastures should be done as soon as
possible to get fall growth started for grazing. The
more growth you make this fall, the more grazing
will be available during the January February time
frame.
Watch for frost if you have green tomatoes. Just
ahead of the frost, pull up the vines and hang in the
garage or someplace else where the frost and freeze
won’t get them. They will then ripen and you can
use as needed
Despite higher prices, beef remains a bargain. A
1,000-pound choice steer that sells for 68 cents a
pound yields about a 600-pound carcass The
average cost of all retail cuts from the carcass
would have to be about $1.56 per pound just to pay
for the animal. With the average national retail
price for choice beef at about $2.20 per pound, con-
sumers are paying only 64 cents per pound for all
marketing and merchandising functions.
A benefit horse show to aid the Tack will be awarded as first
Denton Diabetic Association will be place prizes and rosette ribbons will
held Saturday at the Denton County be given to first through sixth
Fair Grounds, places. High point award winners
Registration for the show, which will receive duck-lined blankets.
will be open to all ages 19 and under, All entries and admission fees will
will begin at 8:30a.m., with the show be donated to the Denton Diabetic
getting under way at 9 a.m. The Association. Individuals and local
show will be conducted by Texas businesses can also participate by
State 4-H Show rules, sponsoring one of the competition
Fees for the event are 92 divisions with a donation, said Mrs.
registration for each horse, 82 for Melvin Haisler with the diabetic
youth class entry, $3 for all other association. Donations may be
class entries and $7.50 for jackpot mailed to the Denton Diabetic
competition. Association, Box 351, Denton.
For more information on the horse
The competition will be in three show, call 365-2514 or (214) 436-5389.
divisions: 13 and under, 14 through For more information on the Denton
19 and all ages. There will 21 dif- Diabetic Association, call Melvin
ferent competition events. Haisler, 387-9179.
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Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 74, Ed. 1 Sunday, October 28, 1979, newspaper, October 28, 1979; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1703715/m1/31/?rotate=90: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Denton Public Library.