Georgia Recreational Estate May Be Largest in State History: Influencer Jake Paul Is New Buyer

A premiere property in Georgia has a new owner, and he is one of the most well-known “influencers” in the United States. The price tag for Southlands in Decatur, Georgia, reflects the history of the land. The 5,746-acre estate boasts a 20-acre private lake, 30-acre duck marsh, and plentiful quail, turkey, and whitetail deer.

Southland’s original asking price was $42 million. Its new buyer paid $39 million. That buyer just defeated boxing legend Mike Tyson. And the hefty pay day, which may have reached $30 million, could have covered a sizable portion of the purchase of Southlands.

The Land Report described the property like this: “Long known as one of the finest recreational properties in the Peach State, Southlands was assembled by the prominent naturalist and conservationist Herbert Stoddard (1889–1970).”

Paul told The Iced Coffee Hour podcast, “I’ve been wanting to buy a ranch for the past 15 years.” He added, “It’s kind of been my dream and why I work so hard.”

RELATED: These billionaire brothers decided to put up for sale a heavy timbered property in Idaho for about $150 million.

Major League Baseball Star Bryce Harper Praises Local Farmers

While Paul works on his plans for his new property, one of the biggest stars in Major League Baseball is making plans to buy local for his family’s meals. Philadelphia Phillies superstar first baseman Bryce Harper recently shared with the Philadelphia Inquirer his fondness for local products from area farmers in Lancaster County.

“You have to understand what you’re putting into your system,” Harper said. “But if I can get a lot of things from local farming — Pennsylvania has such good local farming with Lancaster County being right there — so we get a lot of our dairy products and our egg products. Anything off the farm, that’s what I want.”

Harper continued, “They really understand, especially in Lancaster, how to treat their animals and the way they process their stuff and everything else.”

Harper prefers everything farm-raised and organic. He said that he avoids seed oils, and drinks raw milk. 

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins Supports Brothers’ Battle to Keep Farmland

Meanwhile, two brothers in New Jersey have the attention -- and apparently the support – of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in their fight to keep their farmland. 

Christopher and Andy Henry have been battling town leaders in Cranbury, New Jersey, over the use of eminent domain. The farm has been in the Henry brothers’ family for 175 years. But developers are eying the land for a housing project.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has followed the Henrys’ struggle with town leaders. She criticized local leaders for working to take away the family farmland for the development and compared it to the previous presidential administration.

“…the Biden-style government takeover of our family farms is over," Rollins posted on X (formerly Twitter). "While this particular case is a city eminent domain issue, we @usda are exploring every legal option to help."

RELATED: A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher explains why he still believes in the strength of farmland values for the future.