[meteorite-list] Livingston/Mifflin/Mineral Point/Iowa County/Grant County/Wisconsin Meteorite

[Brian Cox]

hi folks,

While contemplating a trip to the great pastures of Southwestern Wisconsin 
and what this new meteorite will eventually be called " 
Livingston/Mifflin/Mineral Point/Iowa County/Grant County/Iowa-Grant County 
Schools/Wisconsin Meteorite" I was listening to WLS-FM Oldies on 94.7 here 
in Chicago. Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane was singing "White Rabbit" and 
NO, I was Not high. ;-) Just in case any of you were thinking that my hippie 
childhood in the 60s at 9 years old hearing this song made you think such 
thoughts. ;-) Shame on you! lol ;-)

A couple of things dawned on me.

1) Farmers have been plowing for over a week and are ready to plant

2) Landowners have been charging $50 per day, per person to hunt on their 
land. Regardless of whether you find meteorites or Not, you Don't get your 
money back if you don't find any.

3) You must pay the landowner 50 % of your findings before you leave or said 
landowner may take out a shotgun and give you a taste of some buckshot... 
Honestly, you do have to pay 50% of what you find. Just ask the guys that 
have been there. Example: if you find a 20 gram meteorite, landowner weighs 
it and at, say $5 per gram, you have a $100 meteorite and landowner gets $50 
from you before you can leave the area. As you have read in earlier posts 
Mike Farmer noted some guy ( we don't know him, hopefully a local) found a 
meteorite and everyone saw it and he took off before paying the landowner 
and the landowner got angry and chased everyone off his land.

4) No one has any idea if there is a "Main Mass" if it has been found or if 
the largest 200 gram stone is the main mass or if it's much bigger or where 
it is.

5) Now, the jist of this post.....Once farmers have planted and plants are 
up and growing or in the fields, they... DO NOT ...want a bunch of 
Collectors--------Expert or Novice stomping around the fields and crushing 
their plants.!!!!!! I know this from personal experience because I used to 
go up to Iowa County for a 15 year period and always walked around the 
fields when going to and fro. If farmers even, and I Stress the word "EVEN" 
let anyone onto their land they are most likely going to charge higher 
prices,  i.e. $100 per day plus a cut, perhaps 50 % or more.

6) This area in Iowa/Grant counties and throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and 
Indiana, Iowa, etc. as many of you know that live in the area was heavily 
planted during WWI with "HEMP" let me say that again, "H-E-M-P" that was 
used as Hemp rope during World War 1. Think Willie Nelson or  Woody 
Harrelson.

Every year farmers are supposed to pull out or cut down the hemp and burn it 
or the county will come and do it and charge or fine the landowners. You 
guys in Northern Indiana and Illinois know we hear of the yearly Hemp 
Burning of hundreds of acres in Northern Indiana that always makes the news.

I Stress this since if you plan on going up this Summer, you had better make 
sure you don't try to skirt around contacting the landowners and let them 
know you want to hunt meteorites. Not, that I would in any way shape or form 
think or suggest you would do this, But, I stress this since if you are out 
walking around the side of the road or along a pasture or fence line and 
someone, neighbor, passer-by County Mountie or landowner and they see you, 
they may report you to the law as someone looking to "Harvest Hemp" and you 
may get a ticket and be going to jail. Just to put that out there as "food 
for thought." Just to make it safer for everyone.

Hope this is helpful before you plan a trip there.

Brian