Acres of questions
by coffeeman on 09/20/03 at 10:32:52

When farmers (in the US) talk about acres, are they generally using "acre" "commercial acre" or "survey acre"?

How did these three things get to be different?

Any thoughts or insights are appreciated.

Re: Acres of questions
by Robert Fogt on 09/20/03 at 20:40:15

When farmers talk about acres, they are talking about the international acre.

International acre - The official acre used in all countries, and in the U.S. after 1959.

Survey acre - The acre used in the U.S. from 1866 to 1959.  The survey system was defined as 1 foot equals 1200/3937 meters, which is about 30.48006096 centimeters. The new international standard sets a foot to exactly 30.48 centimeters. (very similiar, but not exact)

Commercial acre -  This is an acre used in the city by the Real Estate companies. It is an acre, minus the area reserved for the sidewalk, street, and alley.  To me, it seems like a "phony" or "scam" type unit, used to make your land seem more than it really is. So the Real Estate companies can charge more or the city can get more tax money from you.

Of course my remarks about the commercial acre are just my two cents and not based on fact.  It is very common unit and there may be legitimate reasons for using it, other than to take your money.

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