Hey, this is not a bad idea. We just moved and joined a big new church here in Illinois. Wonder if that would be a good place to seek a landowner. Have to look into it.

Congrats on your new spot. I'd definitely do something to compensate the owner. When you look over the property, see if there is any work needign tending to such as fences or trash. My prior property in Indiana was on a road where kids threw cans and bottles in the ditch for decades. I pulled about 10 bushels full of junk out of there my first year. The ditch was covered in thickets so you could not readily see the trash until winter. See if this land has any such spots. It's a nasty task many landowner's think about but never do.