Where to start a ranch?

[wrightwayangus]

Looking to expand the ranch and trying to narrow down my searches. I am looking for input from folks on areas that they think are great areas. We are located in eastern Washington currently and I can see advantages to having another ranch close by, but I like the idea of being in the midwest when I look at hauling and marketing to the midwest producers. Would like any ideas of areas based on marketing and in large part good areas to raise cattle. Somewhere that doesn't get a whole bunch of snow with a long feeding season or a place that is so hot it has a drough every other year. Would be nice if it was in an area with good hunting. Let me know what ya'll think. Thanks in advance I welcome all opinions.

 

[dun]

Missouri Ozarks

 

[Stocker Steve]

An interesting migration was a few Montana and Colorado ranchers moving to SW Wisconsin. The much higher forage productivity, and fewer movie stars, made rolling Wisconsin ground a better grazing value. This was before $7 corn, and I know the dozers and plows have be ripping it up.

Dun - are there many movie stars :banana: ranching near you?

 

[dun]

An interesting migration was a few Montana and Colorado ranchers moving to SW Wisconsin. The much higher forage productivity, and fewer movie stars, made rolling Wisconsin ground a better grazing value. This was before $7 corn, and I know the dozers and plows have be ripping it up.

Dun - are there many movie stars :banana: ranching near you?

Nope. Most of the california folks don;t last long around here. Too many of the people actaully make sense for them to fit in

 

[dieselbeef]

florida..we get top dollar for our beef down here man...ask inbred or roadhog

 

[cross_7]

i really like the kansas flint hills.
the summers are nice and warm and at times windy but overall great.
rolling hills, water and trees(i appreciated things like that being from the desert)
now winter time well i hear people say it's not bad compared to other places but from a southerners stand point it seems like the arctic.
it's great cattle country and good shipping point since it's centrally located in the US.
the people are freindly and most are counrty folks.
good place to ranch if you can handle the cold weather.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Looking to expand the ranch and trying to narrow down my searches. I am looking for input from folks on areas that they think are great areas. We are located in eastern Washington currently and I can see advantages to having another ranch close by, but I like the idea of being in the midwest when I look at hauling and marketing to the midwest producers. Would like any ideas of areas based on marketing and in large part good areas to raise cattle. Somewhere that doesn't get a whole bunch of snow with a long feeding season or a place that is so hot it has a drough every other year. Would be nice if it was in an area with good hunting. Let me know what ya'll think. Thanks in advance I welcome all opinions.

This is like the little boy that kissed the calf on the ass everybody to their own taste.
That is why they built roads north,south east and west, no matter the spot you pick it will have it's challenge's.
The all have there advantage's as well. It is all all about input cost, if i was relocating that would be what I was checking out.

 

[wrightwayangus]

I can go along with that. So got any ideas for places for me Caustic Burno? Right now I am all about finding a great climate area as we have some time to determine the very best place for us. I am just interested in everyone's reasons and I figure they will give me all the positives of a place and then I can try and find some negatives. Or maybe I will ask folks on here to help me find negatives once I narrow it down. Keep them coming please.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I can go along with that. So got any ideas for places for me Caustic Burno? Right now I am all about finding a great climate area as we have some time to determine the very best place for us. I am just interested in everyone's reasons and I figure they will give me all the positives of a place and then I can try and find some negatives. Or maybe I will ask folks on here to help me find negatives once I narrow it down. Keep them coming please.

I think I have a great climate for raising cattle mild winter's long growing season for grass, that really lowers my input cost in a normal year. On the flip side I have higher input cost due to my county has no railroad, this makes everything higher as it has to be trucked in.

 

[shaz]

My wife says the flatlands out in Missouri are ugly because of the lack of hills then tells me "You NOT going to bushhog suicide hill again are you?". It ain't gonna bushhog it'self.

Really, central Missouri is my all time fave but I haven't been there since '91.

 

[Beef11]

There is some great cow country out there but it really comes down to finding a place with ease of management and low carrying cost. I've thought about crossing borders to see if the ROI might be better somewhere else.

 

[Isomade]

You need to pay attention to land costs and go from there. You can be in a place where inputs are cheaper than dirt but if it's $10,000/ rural acre to buy or $200/lease it won't matter. A few years ago when I last saw the data Oklahoma (Gods ranch country ) was second in lowest price per rural acre to New Mexico.

 

[Caustic Burno]

You need to pay attention to land costs and go from there. You can be in a place where inputs are cheaper than dirt but if it's $10,000/ rural acre to buy or $200/lease it won't matter. A few years ago when I last saw the data Oklahoma (Gods ranch country ) was second in lowest price per rural acre to New Mexico.

Oklahoma does serve a purpose it suck's that is what keep's Texas from slinding into the Gulf. :lol2: :lol2:

 

[James T]

:clap: Good one CB! Besides, Oklahoma is just about as dry as Texas right now.

Good point Isomade. If a buyer had to write down potential inputs, it might cover two sheets or more of paper. IMO soil quality (assuming general location and climate have been decided on) would rate real high on my list of priorities. That and the availability of water.

 

[wrightwayangus]

Anybody have any ideas on Northern California? I have seen and heard great reports on the actual ground, but I am apprehensive about the idea of agriculture in California. Any merit behind my fears or is it me profiling against California? Also any thoughts on Oregon or Southern Idaho? Some of the ground south of Oklahoma City was really nice before this drought, but I haven't seen it lately maybe its still good.

 

[dun]

Anybody have any ideas on Northern California? I have seen and heard great reports on the actual ground, but I am apprehensive about the idea of agriculture in California. Any merit behind my fears or is it me profiling against California? Also any thoughts on Oregon or Southern Idaho? Some of the ground south of Oklahoma City was really nice before this drought, but I haven't seen it lately maybe its still good.

First question to ask yourself is do you like to hunt and shoot? If so that pretty much eliminates california

 

[Dixieangus]

What type of operation are you running?

 

[wrightwayangus]

What type of operation are you running?

We run a registered Angus operation with some commercial cows as well. We market Angus bulls all over the country.