Episode 5 - Change is the only constant

How do we navigate the gentrification of western lands and communities? What impact does this have on the culture of rural communities? We hear from one of the most experienced conservation easement appraisers in the nation. Mrs. Bennett also has a Ph.D. in Depth Psychology.

Kim Bennett has lived in, watched, and experienced the 30-year transition from close-knit, farmer-supported, multi-generational communities to absentee-owned, recreational, and tourist-based economies. What effect does this have on the legacy and identity of these agricultural areas? What personal values (and land values) are changing with the attrition of “locals” seeking “economic refuge?”

Tune in to hear quite possibly the deepest discussion we have had on the podcast.

Kim is the President and founder of Terra Western Associates and as of 2020 is celebrating 36 years as a rural land appraiser. She began her appraisal career at Security Pacific Bank in Visalia, CA as a dairy specialist. She was then associated with Sierra Western Agricultural Services, Inc. for seven years in Exeter, CA. In 1991 Kim moved to Montana to start a family and has been appraising rural properties in Montana and Wyoming for the past 29 years. She has performed a wide variety of rural appraisal assignments including ranches of all sizes, dairies, farms, USFS inholdings, and recreational properties. Kim has over 25 years of experience performing Yellow Book (UASFLA) appraisals. She also has 22 years of experience in the appraisal of conservation easements. Kim is certified general in Montana and Wyoming. Kim has been a licensed Montana real estate sales agent since 1999. Kim received her doctorate in Depth Psychology in 2014.