FARM MANAGEMENT

Sharp & Hatley, Inc. currently manages approximately 140 farms covering a geographical area stretching from the Canadian border to Northern Oregon and from West of the Cascades to Western Idaho. Our primary management functions include:

A. Supervising farming operations, conducting at least one annual farm inspection, and providing a written report to owners.

B. Analyzing and coordinating the USDA Government programs that impact the farms and make decisions and/or recommendations that will be a financial advantage to the account.

C. Negotiating farm leases for the properties and preparing comprehensive written lease agreements.

D. Properly insuring crops, as necessary, with Multi-Peril and Fire and/or Hail Insurance.

E. Reviewing maintenance of buildings and adequacy of fire and/or extended insurance coverage on buildings which are insurable.

F. Reviewing all county reassessments for real estate taxes and making recommendations to the owner or make application to the County Board of Equalization protesting new assessed values.

G. Providing timely income and expense reports and establishing annual farm reserves to pay farm operating expenses.

H. Approving farm operating expenses.

I. Maximizing income to owner through timely commodity marketing.

J. Reviewing all crop divisions and income settlements for accuracy.

K. Reviewing property for hazardous waste concerns.

FARM APPRAISALS

Our firm has over 35 combined years of farm appraisal experience and has achieved the reputation of providing a very thorough and complete appraisal report.  Our clients include federal agencies, state agencies, financial institutions, individuals, as well as numerous attorneys and accountants.

FARM CONSULTING

With over 50 combined years of experience in the agricultural area, Sharp & Hatley, Inc., is able to address all aspects of consulting on behalf of individuals, large corporations, financial institutions, and governmental agencies.

FARM FINANCING

Sharp and Hatley, Inc. has established a relationship with Rabo Agri Finance, formerly dba Lend Lease Agri-Business, Inc., to assist farmers in obtaining long-term capital.

FARM SALES

Sharp and Hatley, Inc. has brokered in excess of $7 million  worth of farms. Our vast experience in the management of farms in Washington State provides us with the understanding of the current complex issues that are facing our farmers today. This knowledge has been essential for us to successfully market farms on behalf of our clients.

Our clients include farmers who need to reduce their long-term debt, with a vast majority requesting leaseback arrangements on the sale. Other clients have inherited farms and wish to convert these assets into other investments. Another type of client is a farm owner who is in the process of simplifying his estate assets.

We have a high success rate in marketing the farms that we list, as we are very knowledgeable of the current value of Washington State farms.

FARM ACQUISITIONS

Recently we have experienced a significant increase in the requests for acquisition of various types of farm properties. Some of this is due to individuals electing to diversify their assets out of the stock market and into more stable types of investments.

We have had several clients who are interested in purchasing farm property, as they are involved in a #1031 tax-free exchange.

We feel that our involvement in the farm management of numerous farms throughout Eastern Washington provides us with a very good networking system for farms that are either on the market or considered for sale.