Images of wide open spaces teeming with cattle are synonymous with how most people view the American West. In Texas, the country’s leader in farm real estate, agriculture jobs account for the employment of at least one in seven workers. As a result, many people want to take more active vacations and are turning to bringing their families to a luxury cattle ranch to have more than just a vacation, they want an adventurous time that will bring them closer.
If you are interested in starting your own business, owning a luxury cattle ranch, you probably have questions about the best way to move forward. You should first understand the difference between a ranch and a farm. Farm land is used primarily for growing food and a farm is usually about 435 acres. Cattle you find there are dairy cows and are. Ranch land is used for beef cattle. Some people do go to farms to experience that kind of life but it is a much different experience than vising a luxury cattle ranch.
Tips for Buying a Luxury Cattle Ranch.
- Remember, like in any other real estate purchase, it is all location, location, location. You need to be able to get to your ranch and so do your customers. There is something to be said for places that are “off the beaten path” but go too far off and your customers will not be able to find or reach you. You should buy one reasonably close to an airport. Make it as easy as possible for people to get to your new location. Few things turn potential clients off more than spending hours trying to reach their vacation spot.
- Check out the environmental regulations. Make sure there are no federally protected wildlife species living on the property you want to buy. If there is a pond with a rare species of toad that needs special treatment, for example, you need to know in advance. These regulations may interfere with your plans to develop the property and cause other headaches while you run your business. You also do not want any customers to get into legal trouble if they accidentally injure an endangered species.
- What water rights come with the property? You probably want prorty with water. Streams, lakes and ponds always make this kind of property more enticing for a luxury cattle ranch. If you are lucky enough to find such ranch land for sale, you need to look into the water rights. Remember, there may also be a national or state park local to your land that your guests can enjoy.
- Build great accoomodations. Think about what you want out of the places you vacation. If you are looking for families to come, make sure your housing accomodations are family friendly. Make sure your guests have whatever they need on your property. This includes great dining facities and other amentities offered by five star hotels. This is a cattle ranch but remember it is a luxury cattle ranch.
- Plan other activities. You can plan and control a lot of things on your luxury cattle ranch but the weather is not one of those things. Have things for your guests to do should the weather not cooperatte during their visit. Look for things to do in your area or have alternate things to do on site. You can offer classes on ranching and give people a “behind the scenes” tour of how you raise and care for cattle. You have a lot of options when running this kind of business and your clientele will most likely be interested. You can take advantage of any bad weather to offer fun programs for almost all tastes and ages.
Running a luxury cattle ranch combines the businesses of running a high end hotel with that of a dude ranch. You will need to cater to people’s desire for adventure with their desire to be pampered. Those two things may not seen synonymous but they can be. With some planning, effort and research you can build a successful business that you enjoy running and your guests love to visit. Have fun with your ranch and your guests!
