Anyone ranch on land north of Abilene TX (Jones and/or Fisher county) I am looking at land in that area and would like to know what your experiences have been running cattle on native grass around those parts. Whats your animal units per acre? how do you like the area as far as living there? How do you rate your area compared to east, central and/or south Texas? Do you find that region to meet the needs of area ranchers regarding supplies, services and facilitys? What advise would you give someone who is looking at purchasing a small (100-200 acre) tract of land for a home and part time ranch business? How would you rate the climate overall compared to East and South Texas? any other thoughts you might have. Thanks Bman
West Texas Ranches
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TexasBred
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bamn that's asking a lot. North, East, South and West Texas are as different as daylight and dark. I'd just say pick a part of Texas that you personally like and then try to learn from the best ranchers in that area.
Thinbluelinetx
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My dad has raised cattle in Taylor and Runnels county (south of Abilene) for the past 20 years. Like any area, there are good years and bad years as far as the weather goes. I believe the avg rainfall in that area is about 20-25 inches a year. The land is much cheaper than north or east Texas. There seems to be an adequate availability of resources to meet ranchers' needs. I know Abilene has a sale barn, and there might be others in the area. Being that it'll be part time for you, if you have another source of income you should do ok. If ranching is going to be your only income source, you'll need ALOT more than 100-200 acres.
Caustic Burno
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TexasBred":2vpozr5v said:
Amen on that as the state ranges from subtropical rainforest to desert. From the coastal plain to the Edwards Plateau is about as diverse as it gets. You can run a cow per acre in East Texas and in parts of West you would need 40 to 50 acres per cow.
Angus Cowman
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most parts of west Texas that I worked in we figured 40-50 acres pr cow pr yr like CB said
so 200 acres ain't gonna do much
I was closer to Amarillo than Abilene
so 200 acres ain't gonna do much
I was closer to Amarillo than Abilene
marksmu
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Caustic Burno":kxf02a0x said:
Im in Southeast Chambers county and my ag-extension office says 1.7 cows/acre....They claim a cow/calf pair upto weaning is usually the maximum. I ran 40 mommas, 20 heifers and a bull, on 67.5 acres from May 1 until September 20 without over grazing.
We also have a place in central Texas (Schulenburg) area and we run only 1 cow to every 6 acres there depending on rainfall. Its very different, and only 90 miles apart.
OK thanks for the input folks. I understand that the areas are widely different that's why I was trying to get a "flavor" as to ranch life in each region. I must say that I am drawn to the openness of west Texas in the counties I mentioned and I knew that the land carry's fewer animals than say Red River County but the cost per acre in West Texas is very attractive. I have studied weather and climate statistics for the various regions and it appears that the additional cost of east Texas land may be offset by the increase in animal units so it would take less land to run an equivalent herd size? I tend to think the sunny climate of West Texas may be more to my liking than the east side but I wonder if anyone has spent time in both locals might expand on that as well as the other points I mentioned. Thanks Bman 
Angus Cowman
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West Texas has 2 season a yr
Hot, dry and windy and
cold, dry and windy
oh and did I mention WINDY
Hot, dry and windy and
cold, dry and windy
oh and did I mention WINDY
Caustic Burno
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Where are you wanting too relocate from? Texas is very diverse you better make sure this is what you want.
Buying land in West Texas is a lot different than trying to sell it.
Buying land in West Texas is a lot different than trying to sell it.
Thinbluelinetx
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IMO the summers in west Texas are much more tolerable, and I'd think cattle would do better in the summer time as well. I was born and raised in El paso and lived in the Abilene area on my dads ranch for a few years. I currently live in southeast Texas, moved here 9 years ago. I've still not adjusted well to the oppressive heat and humidity. I don't raise cattle, but I would think they are more susceptible to parasites down here than in west Texas. I'd like to start raising cattle, but with a decent sized piece of property going for 10-15k and acre, it's pretty cost prohibitive.
Caustic Burno":23l2vpli said:
Ya I thought about that too. I will be relocating from western Oregon, hopefully this summer. Wife and I spent a good deal of time traveling around Texas the last two summers and have done a lot of research. Wife is very drawn to east Texas as it is very lush and green like W. OR. I see it gets 40-45 inches a rain a year but has lots of sunshine but not as much as W Texas. I need lots of sunshine, very weary of living under grey clouds bolted in place 9 months a year and a wet season nearly as long. Am anxious to raise cattle part time, nearly impossible to buy land where I'm at and renting it here makes for a losing proposition. Texas is the place for me.
Caustic Burno
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bman4523":2yqasu6j said:
My part of east Texas land averages 3 thousand an acre with 60 inches of rain a year. East Texas is nothing like Or.
you get up in the morning bright and sunshine, cloud about the size of your baseball cap will pop up and rain a 1/2 inch. This starts over again the next day rains 15 to 30 minutes every other day. The problem is adapting to drinking your breathing air as it is hot, humid and oppressive heat. You have never been hot until it is pushing a 100 degs with 90% humidity and not a breath of air moving through the pines.
Well try this Caustic- You get up in the morning thinking you're an early riser because it's still dark outside but realize you overslept and its 8 o'clock already. You peer through the dim morning light to see that it's still raining, not heavy, buts it's be doing this for four days with out stopping. You put on your boots and walk out to the barn leaving a shallow depression with each step that immediately fills with water because the ground is saturated with water. The temperature is 39F and 97% humidity which isn't that hard to deal with until you realize its been this way for the last month and a half and will continue like this until around April when the days get longer and the steady rain is broken into more intense showers with just a short enough break in between to get nothing done and the clouds refuse to part. If you cant get your arms around this scenario of glumness than you probably haven't seen the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray. That's the feeling of living in the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades. Then one day in late June/early July this all comes to a screeching halt with clear sky's and temps 80-90F with NO rain for the next 60 days turning fields and lawns a golden yellow and the clay ground to concrete. Then sometime about September it starts over again with the return of fall rains. I have never met a Texan in Oregon who moved here by choice. The few I have met are here by marriage or other defacto force. Hmmm
ROCKSPRINGS
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South West Texas has two seasons, hot/dry and dry/hot.
Wouldn't want it all the time but right now it sounds like heaven. Took the 4-wheeler to run a bull to another pasture today. There was so much dust flying from just him I had to keep back a good ways so I could breath and figure out where he was.bman4523":3rfwwmcy said:Well try this Caustic- You get up in the morning thinking you're an early riser because it's still dark outside but realize you overslept and its 8 o'clock already. You peer through the dim morning light to see that it's still raining, not heavy, buts it's be doing this for four days with out stopping. You put on your boots and walk out to the barn leaving a shallow depression with each step that immediately fills with water because the ground is saturated with water. The temperature is 39F and 97% humidity which isn't that hard to deal with until you realize its been this way for the last month and a half and will continue like this until around April when the days get longer and the steady rain is broken into more intense showers with just a short enough break in between to get nothing done and the clouds refuse to part. If you cant get your arms around this scenario of glumness than you probably haven't seen the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray. That's the feeling of living in the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades. Then one day in late June/early July this all comes to a screeching halt with clear sky's and temps 80-90F with NO rain for the next 60 days turning fields and lawns a golden yellow and the clay ground to concrete. Then sometime about September it starts over again with the return of fall rains. I have never met a Texan in Oregon who moved here by choice. The few I have met are here by marriage or other defacto force. Hmmm
Kingfisher
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Angus Cowman":2v73hpqw said:
From what I can tell it is pretty windy there too!
Angus Cowman
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yep it can be windy out there but there is a big difference in when the wind has something to hit and block it more than a 3 wire fence and you don't have that dry west Texas sand blowing everywere either :lol:Kingfisher":jt3qypsz said:
Wild Cattle
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bman, seams to me you have been getting some incorrect info on the country north of Abilene. I live and ranch 2 hours north and west of Abilene Texas. We do not consider the Abilene area to be "west" Texas. The weather is hot and humid in the summer and it rains pretty regular in those parts, winters are mild, and there is not much wind at all. Great wheat ground around there and native pastures are pretty good as well. Abilene is a good sized town with all the modern conveniences you might need. Its a pretty good country for raising cattle and a nice place to live.
