OK what about Terrell County, TX?

[Running Arrow Bill]

Yeah I agree with you, I am probably not going to buy any land in Texas, well at least not in West Texas for sure. I just don't understand how the guys selling this barren land have 100% or 99% positive feedback? Maybe the buyers are just buying it for speculation, hoping some sort of municipal water will be run out the in the "distant" future. Yeah I think we have chiggers here in Georgia too. I have never had them though. I am looking at Missouri and South Dakota land now. I find anything interesting, I'll post it.

Looking for land in TX, MO, SD? Why the wide range? Where are YOU located now? Are you looking for cheap land, a lifestyle, a place similar or dissimilar to where you live now...lots of variables here. SD can get hot in summer and very cold, lot of snow in winter...spent 8 months there...couldn't wait to get out. Eastern half of SD lot of farm land, not much ranching. Western half not much better than SW Texas. Can you tolerate severe winters? Severe summers? More things to consider on your hoped for location.

Incidentally, the Terrill County area 100 miles or so NE of Big Bend Park in WAY out in middle of very arid, bluffs, arroyos, and the like--probabily armadillos and rattlesnakes have a hard time surviving out in those parts.

On the other hand everything East of line N-S of Abilene, TX is much more favorable to farming and ranching.

Okla and Kansas as well as Nebraska has some good land also. Eastern Colo pretty barren too--East of I-25.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Sounds like you are looking on ebay. I have looked at those ads, I would be VERY suspicious of any land listed on ebay. There has got to be something up with it. A scam or something. Most everything I saw whould not even be suitable to run a jackrabbit on much less cattle. Be aware and be careful what you do. TALK TO A REAL ESTATE PERSON in the area you want to research, actually, talk to several.

I agree with Sidney!

Stay away from eBay or any other internet offerings except from a bonafied, established Realtor dealing with farm/ranch properties in the area you might be considering.

For example back in the 1980s there were big promotions for 40 Acre "ranchettes" in the San Luis Valley of SE Colorado with a "Beautiful VIEW of the Mountains." Problem was on those $49.95 a monthly payment places that there was NO WATER and the State of Colorado wasn't granting well drilling permits on such small acreages! Those "businesses" did a lot of advertising hype on the San Luis Valley properties...almost as much as those late nite infomercials who say you can retire in luxury on your part-timne earnings with their fantastic plans!!! LOL. Caveat Emptor!!!

 

[Texan]

I think for what you're looking for, you might be better off thinking about prices in terms of $/animal unit instead of $/acre. That will give you a better idea of what it will cost to run cattle on a place, without having to know what the carrying capacity is for a particular area. Ranch brokers will speak this language with you. Speculators and con men aren't as likely to. Good luck 'cause you will need a lot of it.

By the way, you don't have to rule out the whole State of Texas. The side you've been looking at is rocks and sand. The opposite side is grass and trees.

And dg is wrong. A chigger would starve to death everywhere I've been in Terrell County. Loving County, too.

Texan, could you elaborate on the $/animal unit comment please ?

I'll give it a shot Tman, although I'm sure some of the real estate people on here could articulate it a lot better than I. Around here, good pasture land that will run a pair to three acres will cost about $1,000/acre. That represents an animal unit cost of $3,000. In some of the areas he was looking at such as Loving County and Terrell County, even though land was cheaper per acre, if it takes 100 acres to run a cow and calf, land priced at $50/acre would cost $5,000 to run the same cow and calf. Now, looking at it from a distance, anyone would rather give $50/acre than $1,000/acre for land, right? But which is really the better deal for him with his stated objective of running cattle on the land?

 

[Anonymous]

I am considering anywhere where I can get a decent amount of tillable and grazeable (is that a word) land for 40-50K. I have lived in Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas (San Antonio), Oklahoma, and now in Georgia. So it doesn't really matter to me where the land is, I would relocate to just about anywhere.

 

[TheBullLady]

Here in Central Texas, $40K - $50K will buy you 30-40 acres of land. Lots of different types to chose from.. rocky and rough terrain the "recreational" types love, to blackland row crops, to sandy loam, great for coastal bermuda grass. Depends on how close you want to be to a fairly large town, if you want paved frontage or county road, how you want to get your water (co-op or well), cost of electricty, fences, etc. etc.

Unfortunately, you're looking for pretty much what everyone is looking for right now. Everyone wants to get out of the city, country living, somewhere to retire. It's getting harder and harder to find. Land that was selling for $350 - $400 an acre five years ago here is now bringing $1000+ per acre. Great for a real estate agent!

 

[sidney411]

I have a friend that just paid $3500 per acre in Austin County, Texas. West of Houston about 50 miles. 27 acres and he can run 7 cow/calf units. Well, that's what the tax man said he has to run for ag exemption. On a dirt road, no well, electricity, nothing. I would love to see some land near me that was $1000 an acre that could run one cow/calf unit per 3 acres. Everything I have looked at that was decent was in the $3000 and up price range.

 

[Campground Cattle]

1200 to 1500 an acre in Tyler county makes some fine pasture.

 

[TexasCountryWoman]

There is land in Lee Co. going for $1,200. - $$1,800./acre and this is definately cattle country. Every town has a big auction barn and the soil is sandy here and a bit of black prarie there. No hard rocks or anything. Lots of trees and cattle everywhere. Giddings, Texas is the County Seat and the Ag Extention Service would have plenty of info. Come take a tour of Texas.