Houston Texas area

[flbullrider]

Anyone out there have an operation in the Houston, Texas area (within 1 hour drive of the city)?

What's the forage density and land prices like?

Mike Bishop - http://www.flbullrider.com

 

[dcara]

I'm actually in north central Texas but I'm sure the land prices and forage productivity vary as much around Houston as they do here. Best thing to do is contact a Houston area realitor via internet and tell them what your looking for (i.e. parcel size, intended use, etc.). Within a week they will send you list of properties, information on the properties, and their associated prices.

 

[eric]

Yes it does vary quite a bit in Texas. Even on my place, I have about 90% of perfect red sandy soil that will grow just about anything, then on the back few acres, I have hard rock that we dang near had to dynamite out just to get some fence posts into! Just a few miles away, I know of neighbors who have the hard black clay and every one of them have foundation problems with their houses. Go just a few miles the other way and you find the gummy calache rock, which makes for great drive ways, but doesnt grow anything needing more than 2" of root depth. Best bet is to actually dig a hole in the ground you're considering.

 

[bullred]

FL,

One hour drive in which direction? I live one hour east of Houston. Soil is what we call black-land gumbo, generally very good rainfall, and forrage density is pretty good. Two head per acre with haying from late October thru March is about the norm on native grass. This is in Chambers County and rural unimproved pasture land goes for 2,000 to 2,500 per acre. If you are interested in this area let me now and I can give you some info on some good realtors.

My father-in-law lives an hour NW of Houston (close to Brenham). Soil there is very sandy, forrage density not nearly as good, and less rain. One head per acre on unimproved native grass is crowding it. And the closer you get toward the "hill country" the higher the prices get. If you can get someone to turn loose of any decent land around there it's going to run you 5,000 to 7,000 per acre just as a rule of thumb. I can tell you that I know some old ranchers in that area and on up closer to Austin that are sitting on a gold mine - 640 acre spreads that were handed down through the family from the old Spanish Land Grant days that could easily bring 4-5 million dollars today.

CJ

 

[txfishing]

I have property 110 Miles north of Houston. About two hour drive. Centerville has rolling hills with sandy loam soil mostly. Some properities have red soil on them. Most ranchers that I know have Bahia or Coastal Bermuda grass. Grows very well from what I can tell. Acres go for $2500 - $3500

Here's a website to one of the local realty companies. They usually have some good pics on their site.

http://www.circle-t-realty.com/

 

[flbullrider]

Thanks to all for the info... lookin' to be within 1 hour of the metro area, any direction. Maybe as far as an hour and a half, but any more than that's too far a drive back & forth to the off farm job...

Mike Bishop - http://www.flbullrider.com

 

[bullred]

Mike,

How much land are you looking for, and what part of Houston are you going to be driving to?

CJ

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

Mike -- you might want to inquire of some local real estate agents in the towns of Wharton, El Campo, Bay City and other towns in the general area (refer to a detailed map -- these are southwest of Houston). That's an ag area, flat as a board and not scenic.

I don't think the weekenders and recreational folks have bid up the prices quite as bad in that general area as you'll find in many other areas that are within moderate driving distance of Houston. That area has a good bit of oil & gas production, so getting minerals along with the land is another issue altogether! Good rice and/or row crop land generally, but there is also a lot of good land with improved grass like the various bermudas for cattle or horse raising.

Barring any major accidents you could probably get into Houston from those areas in an hour to an hour and a half. A lot depends on where you would be working within the metro area. Houston takes in a huge area of land, and the outskits of the actual city "metro area" could be an hour from dowtown.

 

[sidney411]

We're an hour north-west of Houston, in Grimes County. We have everything from sandy soil, clay, rock, to black-land. That's all on about 100 acres of the place. Our native forage is pretty thin and needs a lot of rainfall to really produce. I can only run 1 cow/calf per 4 to 5 acres or I'm overgrazing. I have actualy been looking at more land and have found some stuff that is so thick there isn't any grass below the trees and brush for $4,000 an acre, to prime, improved pasture (no house or utilities for $10,000 an acre. I looked at a 33 acre parcel of improved pasture with a small tank (no well or electricity on the place) and the asking price is $7,500 per acre. I almost fell over cause thats $247,500.00. Needless to say, it's still for sale if your interested I can get you the number.

 

[icandoit]

Wow Sidney, thats a lot of money. Were due west off I-10 in Flatonia, about 2hrs from Houston and I think we have pretty good forage and if you improve the pastures, your looking at about 1 and a half cows per acre. Prices are around 3000 to 3500 an acre. Course, you would have to deal with the Katy freeway traffic. Whoo, bad stuff, but pretty country starting at Columbus. From Columbus, I think, don't hold me to this now, your looking at about and hour drive to Houston.

Dick

 

[Caustic Burno]

San Jac and Polk County about an hour and a half northeast land is good sandy soil goes for 1500 an acre improved pasture 2500 to 3000

 

[sidney411]

Actually Dick, Columbus is realistically 1 1/2 hours away from Houston in the morning, and an hour in the evening depending on what part of Houston your going to. Sealy is an hour drive to the west side of Houston in the morning, in the evening it's about 45 mins. Now these times are barring ANY accidents, a major accident and I've seen it take upwards of 2 hours.

Yeah, I can't believe the prices of land near our farm. A big farm across the road got broke up in little tracts and it sold around 5k acre and that was at least 5 years ago now. There is another one I saw this past weekend east of us a few miles that they are breaking into 2 acre lots and selling. No fence, no trees, it was a hayfield last year. I just hope they don't move a bunch of trailer houses in.