Ranching has always been an exciting and lucrative business in the United States. We’ve seen entire states used as agricultural land for years; we’ve seen Ted Turner spend $20 million in 1988 when he purchased an over 100,000-acre ranch; and more recently, we have seen a decline in owners of cattle ranches, farmers, and other agricultural operators.
The overall employment of ranchers, agricultural managers, and farmers is expected to decrease 2% over the next eight years. This can be looked at as a sad act, but a more optimistic person might look at the decline as a good thing.
With the decline of agricultural operators, there will be more properties available for either experienced or brand new ranchers looking to break into the wonderful industry. That 2% decline is approaching, but it doesn’t mean that is has to continually decrease each year. Perhaps a lot of these ranchers need to get out of the industry to make room for some new ones.
Montana, for example, has a current population of just over one million people. That number is projected to increase by 14% over 28 years. There may be a small decline in cattle ranches for a few years in Montana, but once that population starts getting larger and larger, there will certainly be more people who are looking to purchase land and begin ranching careers.
Cattle grazing, for those looking to break into the exciting ranching industry, usually encourages forb (a plant other than a grass) production that benefits many wildlife populations. Light cattle grazing should be less than 35% us of the primary forage species and moderate grazing should be between 35 and 45% use of primary forage species.
If you are serious about breaking into this industry, consulting with agricultural land and agricultural land real estate companies can help. They will be able to search various areas to find land that is perfect for you and your family’s situation. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can find plenty of beautiful cattle ranches, hunting land, horse ranches, mountain ranches, and other agricultural lands all over the country.
