Data center development is changing how certain land assets are evaluated while influencing seller motivations. For landowners and investors, the question is not simply whether a property has acreage, frontage, or development potential. In most cases, the first question is whether the site can support the power and infrastructure demands that drive data center use.

Tyler Davis, Spencer Smith, and Jerrod Parker discuss the unique value drivers behind data center development, including the role of power availability, transmission access, utility requirements, local policy, community response, and due diligence. The conversation offers a high-level look at how this rapidly evolving sector may shape opportunities for landowners, investors, and developers.

Learn more at SaundersRealEstate.com.

Water quality regulations have always played a significant role in agricultural land management across Florida. In this episode, Tyler Davis and Brandon DuRant of Saunders Real Estate are joined by Robert Angus and Allan Charles of Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A. to discuss the regulatory framework surrounding water quality, including Basin Management Action Plans and Best Management Practices (BMPs), and how these apply to farm and ranch operations.

The conversation outlines how BMPs function as a compliance pathway, the role of agricultural classification in property taxes and land use, and how programs tied to water policy and citrus health are affecting landowners. The discussion provides practical context around how these factors intersect with day-to-day land management and broader land use considerations in Florida.

Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A. is a long-standing strategic partner of the Lay of the Land® Conference.

Learn more at SaundersRealEstate.com and LLW-Law.com.

Our Lay of the Land® Conference in Columbus, Georgia, offers a comprehensive look at the factors influencing land values and management across Alabama and Georgia.

The day opened with a policy-focused discussion on issues shaping land ownership, including trade dynamics impacting agricultural profitability, conservation initiatives, and the role of private property rights. Additional sessions explored recreational land value and how buyer preferences have shifted, as well as the financial, operational, and family considerations involved in succession planning for land ownership.

A development-focused panel examined the forces driving demand for residential, industrial, and emerging uses, and the following lenders discussion provided a practical look at debt and capital, walking through real-world financing scenarios tied to agricultural operations and rural land purchases. The event concluded with a data-driven perspective presented by Saunders Land advisors, connecting verified land sales data with observations from recent transactions across Alabama and Georgia.

Learn more about our upcoming conferences at LayOfTheLandConference.com.

Chapters
(00:02:15) Policy Issues Shaping Land Ownership
(01:03:01) Recreational Land Value Optimization
(01:49:42) Succession Planning for Landowners
(02:47:06) Growing Demand for Development Land
(03:34:05) Lenders Discussion on Debt and Capital
(04:22:17) Lay of the Land® Market Update

This special episode features recorded sessions from Day 2 of the 2026 Lay of the Land® Conference, focusing on the policy decisions, infrastructure investments, and land sales data influencing Florida’s real estate market. Florida Senate President Ben Albritton delivers a legislative update addressing property tax reform discussions, conservation funding priorities, and broader policy considerations impacting landowners and investors across the state.

James M. Driggers, P.E., District One Secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation, then outlines the state's Advanced Air Mobility strategy and the continued development of SunTrax as a testing and implementation hub for emerging transportation technologies. The program concludes with Saunders Real Estate advisors presenting the 2026 Lay of the Land® Market Report, offering expert analysis of verified transaction data across key asset classes and examining how land market activity shifted over the past year.

Learn more about our upcoming conferences at LayOfTheLandConference.com.

Chapters
(00:00:41) Legislative Update
(00:15:50) SunTrax and Florida's Air Taxi Network
(00:42:15) Lay of the Land® Market Report

Recorded live in Lakeland, this episode features panels from the 2026 Lay of the Land® Conference, including expert-led discussions on the economic, investment, and policy dynamics shaping the Florida land market. The program opens with an economic outlook delivered by Jerry D. Parrish, Ph.D., Chief Economist for the Metro Atlanta Chamber, examining interest rates, capital flows, and broader market conditions influencing transaction activity.

From there, breakout sessions explore commercial property investing fundamentals, utility-scale solar energy development in Florida, the feasibility considerations behind unlocking land value through mining, and a focused discussion on tax reform and estate planning strategies. Together, these conversations provide timely insight for landowners, investors, and advisors navigating a market adjusting to new capital conditions.

Learn more about our upcoming events at LayOfTheLandConference.com.

Chapters
(00:01:42) Florida's Economic Outlook
(00:52:19) Commercial Property Investing 101
(01:43:48) Solar Energy Development in Florida
(02:44:19) Unlocking Land Value Through Mining
(03:14:32) Tax Reform & Estate Planning

Tyler Davis sits down with land advisor and career forester Mike Matre to discuss a complex Georgia land transaction he brokered earlier this year. The conversation centers on the California Woods property in Stewart County, 1,443 acres of rugged, remote terrain featuring dramatic vistas, strong hunting opportunity, and landscapes influenced by past timber activity and long-term ownership. Mike walks listeners through the full arc of the sale, from the property’s unique topography and off-grid nature to how those characteristics required a very targeted approach to the market.

The episode explores how an early offer from a neighboring TIMO (Timberland Investment Management Organization) led to a strategic pivot, ultimately dividing the remaining acreage into four smaller parcels and significantly increasing demand. Mike shares lessons on on-the-ground due diligence, effective marketing for rural properties, pricing strategy, and navigating today’s Georgia timber market, including the impact of recent mill closures and continued demand for recreational land.

Learn more at SaundersRealEstate.com.

This episode features recorded sessions from the 2025 Lay of the Land® Conference, held in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The discussions bring together experts in agriculture, forestry, and land investment to examine the trends shaping Arkansas’s land economy today.

Topics included challenges facing farm and cropland producers amid rising input costs and tighter lending conditions, the outlook for timber markets and forest management, and implications from the Farm Bill. Each panel offers practical insight into how landowners and investors can adapt in a changing environment. Speakers also share perspectives on long-term land value, sustainable practices, and verified real estate sales data from across the state.

Learn more about our upcoming events at LayOfTheLandConference.com.

Chapters
(00:00:20) Current Trends and Challenges in Arkansas Agriculture
(01:01:27) Arkansas’s Forestry Outlook
(01:53:39) Kyle Cunningham, State Forester
(02:36:47) Lay of the Land Market Update

Recorded live in Thomasville, this special episode features a collection of panel discussions from the 2025 Lay of the Land® Georgia Conference. This annual event focuses on empowering landowners, investors, and industry professionals with clear, data-backed insight into the state's evolving land market.

This year's Georgia land conference hosted a lineup of experts discussing timber pricing trends, recreational and transitional land activity, agricultural challenges, conservation strategies, and tax policy updates. In this episode, you’ll hear key takeaways from each panel, including verified land sales data drawn from the Lay of the Land® Market Report and firsthand insights from the very advisors tracking deals and trends across the state. From estate planning strategies to seedling selection in forestry, this episode offers a comprehensive, boots-on-the-ground view of the forces shaping land values and investment potential across Georgia.

Request an invite for next year's conference at LayOfTheLandConference.com.

Chapters
(00:02:26) Managing Timber for Recreational Value & A Changing Pulpwood Market
(00:53:53) Tax Reform & Estate Planning • Opportunities & Strategies
(01:28:09) Georgia Agriculture • Trends, Challenges, and the Road Ahead
(02:17:18) Lay of the Land Market Update