Land Report Top 10: Jackson Land and Cattle Ranch

Jackson Land and Cattle Ranch is a remarkably beautiful 1,750± acre ranch literally on the edge of the town of Jackson, Wyoming. Known as the premier resort community in the Rocky Mountain West, Jackson Land and Cattle Ranch takes full advantage of the most magnificent views for which the area is so famous. This is arguably Jackson’s most desirable ranch that remains essentially unencumbered by development restrictions.

This ranch is the finest offering available in arguably the nicest resort communities in the country. Its world-class cutting horse and cattle operation is situated in the most remarkable setting one could ever hope to find. Large productive hay meadows and pastures span the valley floor and give way to hills and mountains covered by large aspen groves and dense green timber slopes that provide exceptional habitat to the abundant wildlife. Three large trout-filled ponds have been developed close to the equestrian center and a beautiful spring creek meanders down through the valley. The backdrop is the famous Teton Range with its centerpiece, the Grand, in full view from the ranch.

Jackson Land and Cattle Ranch is listed with Hall and Hall. For more information, contact John Pierce at (307) 733-0989 or via email at pierce@hallandhall.com.

Click here to see the full list of Land Report’s Top Ten priciest properties.

Sold! 80,200 Acres of Wisconsin Timberland

JANUARY 3 UPDATE:

In late December, a deal was struck to sell the 80,200 acres of timberland in northern Wisconsin for $42.9 million dollars to two companies that manage timberland throughout the U.S.

According to LandVest, Inc. broker David Speirs, the Lyme Timber Company, which is based in Hanover, New Hampshire, has an agreement to purchase 72,800 acres. The Forestland Group, headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is set to purchase the remaining 7,400 acres.

NOVEMBER 17 POST:

The Wausau Paper Timberlands offer approximately 80,000 acres of prime timberland located throughout the northern half of the state of Wisconsin. A leading producer of fine printing and writing papers, towel and tissue products, and specialty papers, Wausau has been divesting non-strategic timber holdings since 2005. Most of these 80,000 acres have been sustainably managed by Wausau since the 1940s for the production of wood fiber.

The acreage consists primarily of natural and planted northern pine species. In addition to timber value, the acreage offers an extensive number of land uses, including recreational and conservation opportunities.

This property is available through LandVest . For more information, contact David Speirs at (207) 874-4982 or dspeirs@landvest.com.

Land Report Top Ten: November 2011

From Hawaii to the Lone Star State, here are America’s priciest properties, led by $175 million Jackson Land and Cattle Ranch, pictured here, which is listed by Hall and Hall.

1. Jackson Land and Cattle: $175 million

These 1,750 acres are simply the most phenomenal property to come to the market in the Teton Valley in decades. Jackson Land and Cattle is one-of-a-kind in every respect: world-class improvements, including an equestrian center designed by Jonathan Foote, AIA; lack of any development restrictions; and don’t forget the stunning Teton views. Hall and Hall’s John Pierce has the listing.

2. Walton Ranch: $100 million

This 1,848-acre working cattle ranch was pieced together by the Walton family beginning in 1958. The family placed the ranch under conservation easement in 1983. Billy Long and Ron Morris of Ranch Marketing Associates have the listing.

3. Ranch Dos Pueblos: $84 million

This oceanfront parcel is on the market for the first time in three decades. Spanning 2,175 acres just west of Santa Barbara, it’s one of the largest remaining ranches along the breathtaking Gaviota Coast. Kerry Mormann & Associates has the listing.

4. Tranquility Estate: $75 million

These 210 acres on Lake Tahoe are crowned by a 20,000 square-foot mansion. Owned by Tommy Hilfiger co-founder Joel Horowitz, it was originally priced at $100 million in 2006. Listed by Shari Chase and Sue Lowe of Chase International.

5. Aspen Valley Ranch: $59 million

Billed as the largest ranch near Aspen in the Roaring Fork Valley, this ranch boasts senior water rights as well as over 800 acres and is located just 10 minutes from the Aspen airport. Joshua Saslove of Joshua & Co. has the listing.

6. Robert Taylor Ranch: $56 million

112 acres in Los Angeles’s tony Brentwood enclave. The roomy ranch house, which was designed by Robert Byrd, features 17 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms. Joyce Rey of Coldwell Banker Previews International has the listing.

7. Hana Ranch: $55 million
This 4,500-acre working ranch on eastern Maui surrounds the town of Hana. The property boasts two miles of Pacific oceanfront and rises over 2,200 feet up the slopes of Haleakala. Dan Omer of Island Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing.

8. Rockpile Ranch: $54 million

For only the third time in over a century, this 55,374-acre cattle ranch in the Davis Mountains of Far West Texas is on the market. Since 1992, the Rockpile has been owned by McCoy Remme Ranches (No. 41 on the 2011 Land Report 100). James King of King Land and Water is the listing agent.

9. Dana Ranch: $45 million

With only two distinguished owners in nearly 100 years and an unmatched record of profitability, the Dana is considered by many to be the finest operating and recreational ranch in the Rocky Mountain West. Supporting 3,000 animal units on 59,000± acres, it boasts over 13 miles of superb fisheries and an incredible diversity of wildlife resources from elk to waterfowl to upland birds. Listed by Dave Johnson with Hall and Hall.

10. Flying Dog Ranch: $40 million

This 245-acre Aspen landmark features nearly a mile of Collins Creek and Woody Creek and borders the White River National Forest. Morris & Fyrwald Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing.

Click here to download a copy of the November 2011 newsletter.

Trend Watch: Income-Producing Properties

Check out this informative video from ranch brokers Ken Mirr and Jeff Hubbard of Mirr Ranch Group.

Ranch brokers Ken Mirr and Jeff Hubbard discuss the increase in demand they are seeing for income-producing properties for sale. These ranch experts suggest that this type of ranch, coupled with recreational values, makes for a truly special property. Thunder Ranch, a Utah ranch for sale, is used as an example.

Vistas: Maine’s Chadbourne Tree Farms

Selected from what is undeniably one the finest White pine ownerships in the Northeast, Chadbourne Tree Farms is a 2,470-acre portfolio located in Western Maine near Bethel. The property consists of six tracts ranging in size from 111 to 687 acres, all well-stocked with timber. Collectively, it boasts an impressive 17,407 MBF of saw timber, more than half of which is white pine.

Total stocking averages 29 cords per forested acre, with over 40% of the sawtimber volume in trees 18” DBH and larger. In addition to its superb timber resource, the portfolio includes nearly three and a half miles of water frontage, most notably a mile and a half stretch along a pristine 155-acre cold water trout pond. This superior timberland investment opportunity is poised for strong performance well into the future.

$5.9 million
www.landvest.com

Sold! Texas’s Camp Cooley Ranch

SEPTEMBER 6 UPDATE:

Camp Cooley Ranch sold at auction for $28.5 million to Circle X Land and Cattle Company August 4. Twenty-two qualified bidders, along with their families, attorneys, lenders, and consultants, attended the auction, which was held at the Robertson County ranch. The $28.5 million sale price included surface and mineral/royalty interests. All equipment and personal property was offered through a separate transaction.

According to Bernard Uechtritz of Great Estates Ranches, Camp Cooley ranks as one of the most beautiful ranches in the nation, thanks to its topography, abundant waters, and multi-million-dollars of improvements. “In the cattle industry, Camp Cooley is a major brand name,” he said. Uechtritz coordinated the extensive marketing campaign leading up to the auction; the auction itself was overseen by Hall and Hall Auctions.

Read more details HERE.

JULY 25 UPDATE:

In the midst of a statewide drought that is crippling Texas farms and ranches, Camp Cooley Ranch continues to thrive.

“Camp Cooley is an oasis,” says Bernard Uechtritz during a telephone conversation from the headquarters of the Central Texas ranch. “Every other ranch I’ve seen over the last few weeks has browned up, but not Camp Cooley. It continues to irrigate, to fertilize, and to bale hay. Take a look at that aerial video at Camp Cooley.com. We shot that two weeks ago, and everything was still green. Still is. Name another ranch in Texas that is baling hay in late July.” According to Uechtritz, Camp Cooley Ranch has a year round carrying capacity of 4,000 head, and as recently as two weeks ago was running 4,700 head.

As the August 4 auction deadline approaches, Uechtritz reports that multiple stalking horse bids have been received for specific assets as well as for the entire ranch. “The action has been terrific. We’ve easily had 20-plus parties tour the ranch and given it a serious look,” Uechtritz says.

Leading the list has been a large number of cattle companies that recognize Camp Cooley’s turnkey potential. “Readers of The Land Report would immediately recognize the names of many of these famous ranch operators. These guys know what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity Camp Cooley presents,” Uechtritz says. Other parties who have toured the ranch have eyed the mineral rights, the water rights, royalty revenues, the hunting preserve, and the possibility of developing a wetlands mitigation bank.

“Watching the interest build around Camp Cooley has been extremely exciting for Hall and Hall,” Scott Shuman says, head of Hall and Hall’s Auction Division. “When you get a property with the history and the potential of Camp Cooley and combine it with such close proximity to major metropolitan areas such as Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, it’s bound to generate a ton of interest. And we’re definitely seeing that. I expect the pace to pick up even more as the auction date approaches.”

Buyer’s registration forms and bidder’s packets for the invitational auction are being released on Friday, July 22. Bidders must pre-qualify and be invited to attend the August 4th auction, which is presently scheduled to take place at Camp Cooley Ranch. Through the protected buyer process that was approved by the court, there is also the possibility of a private treaty sale prior to the August 4 auction.

Learn more HERE.

JULY 15 POST:

A Texas icon goes on the block this August as Camp Cooley Ranch is to be auctioned off by Hall and Hall Auctions. At 10,600± acres, Camp Cooley is one of the largest properties in close proximity to Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. A sophisticated multi‐level turnkey cattle and commercial hay operation, Camp Cooley generated more than $700,000 in grazing revenues, more than $1.5 million from commercial hay operations, and more than $1.4 million in gas royalties in 2010. In addition, there are considerable untapped revenue streams associated with existing gas and water rights. Located in the heart of the Lone Star State near Franklin, Camp Cooley will be auctioned by Hall and Hall as a single tract on August 4, 2011.

Download a comprehensive presentation with complete details via PDF HERE, or take a tour online at Camp Cooley.com.

LOCATION

Camp Cooley Ranch is located in Robertson County in the heart of Central Texas and is bounded by the Navasota River to the east. Approximate drive times are as follows: Bryan-College Station, 30 minutes; Austin, 90 minutes; Houston, two+ hours; Dallas, two+ hours; San Antonio, three hours.

HISTORY

The ranch takes its name from the Civil War

Houston entrepreneur Bert Wheeler assembled Camp Cooley from dozens of neighboring tracts. As Camp Cooley’s renown grew, Wheeler hosted such Texas luminaries as John Connally and Lyndon Johnson.

Under current owner Klaus Birkel, Camp Cooley Genetics has become one of the country’s best known seedstock cattle operation, running up to 4,500 cow/calf pairs and as many as 2,000 bulls.

ASSETS

Ranch headquarters is a 8,590-square-foot lakeside main residence. Improvements include a 15-suite executive office complex, meeting rooms, and security and communication systems to monitor the ranch.

The entire ranch is served by a computer-monitored water well system, including all residences, barns, workshops, a multi‐use sale pavilion, and the breeding and cattle workstations. There are approximately 84 miles of roads in place on Camp Cooley.

Camp Cooley boasts rolling terrain that boasts numerous lakes, abundant woodlands, as well as wetlands that are ideal for development as a mitigation bank. The ranch’s 1,000‐acre exotic game preserve is among the oldest in the state and could be increased in size.

OPPORTUNITY

Qualified bids need to be submitted by Wednesday, July 27 at 5 p.m. (CST). For more information on this auction, contact Bernard Uechtritz at (214) 608-8567 or Scott Shuman at (800) 829-8747.

For Sale: Oregon’s Smith Brothers Ranch

Bob Smith admits that outsiders might consider his country, the rugged ranchland of east-central Oregon’s Columbia Plateau, a little dry.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that,” he said. “But we get six or seven inches of rain per year, and we ran as many as 2,000 head of cattle on our place. You’d figure two tons of hay per head would get you through winter. We’d get a ton and a half per acre. It was always there.”

When Smith started haying the meadows on his family’s ranch back in the 1940s, horses and pitchforks were still important tools. “We put it up in loose stacks back then,” he said. “That was way before bales.”

In autumn, when ranch work slowed, Smith hunted elk and mule deer. “We didn’t get too excited about the fishing because it was too easy to just walk down to the river, catch a few trout, and head back to the house,” he said.

Since the homesteading era, the ranch has known only three owners. In the five-bedroom ranch house, a stone marker reads, “W.E.S. Smith 1910.” Built of native stone, with walls three feet thick, the old house was a castle in its early days. After the original Smiths  – no relation to the current owners – moved on, locals called the ranch the Drinkwater Place, after its second owner, Bob Drinkwater. Bob Smith’s father, the only doctor in Burns, Oregon, bought the core of the ranch in the early 1940s.

Bob Smith has always considered himself a rancher. To many others, however, he is best known for leadership skills: first, in the Oregon House of Representatives, where he served from 1960 to 1972, including stints as Speaker of the House in the 1969 and 1971 sessions; and, subsequently, as a U.S. Congressman from 1983 to 1995 and again from 1997 to 1999, when he served as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

“I grew up on that ranch,” he said. “Some of my best memories are of being a green hand and being broken in by the older boys.”

Today, Bob Smith’s sons, Chris and Matt, own the Smith Brothers Ranch, which includes two components: the Silvies River Ranch and the Buck and Bull Ranch. Their land consulting business, Smith West, is based in Medford in southwestern Oregon. “We’re basically just a couple of cowboys looking to shorten our commute,” Chris Smith said. “It’ a six- or seven-hour drive from Medford to the ranch, so after all these years, we decided we’d like to ranch a little closer to home.”

The Smith Brothers Ranch is being offered in two separate blocks: a 2,500-acre tract of excellent bottomland pasture that runs for nearly 10 miles along the Silvies River and an adjoining 1,600-acre block consisting of sagebrush and juniper uplands, and some timber.

The Smiths have long managed their ranch for cattle, but they understand that good ranching is good stewardship. With the financial assistance from the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, they fenced off the river the entire length of the property to keep cattle from damaging the bank and riparian vegetation. In the uplands, they’ve cleared thirsty, deep-rooted juniper to protect springs and improve habitat for sage grouse.

How does Bob Smith feel about the ranch? “It was my life; I loved it; I still do.”

The Smith Brothers Ranch deserves a new owner who’ll feel the same.

$3.0 million & $1.5 million
(541) 944-8821
Oregon Land and Wildlife

On the Block: South Carolina’s Patriots Plantation

The creators of Patriots Plantation envisioned a special place where nature, friends and families could come together to enjoy the beautiful Low Country outdoors in a tranquil setting where rush hours and daily routines simply don’t exist. That vision became a reality is obvious to anyone who visits these extraordinary 1,886± acres in historic Williamsburg County, South Carolina. Now someone will have the opportunity to make this plantation their own on August 25 when it will be offered to the highest bidders at an absolute auction, regardless of price. This one-of-a-kind opportunity will be conducted by The National Auction Group, Inc. of Gadsden, Alabama, a company with years of experience marketing farms and ranches.

Located at the southern tip of South Carolina’s Pee Dee district and only 45 minutes from Myrtle Beach, Patriots Plantation is one of the finest facilities of its kind in the South. Fenced and gated, the property is blessed with roughly 7 miles of water frontage, plus lakes and ponds. More than 15 miles of maintained roads are already in place. The main entry gate can be conveniently controlled with remotes, a key pad, or a cell phone.

Patriots Plantation is well known for its duck, quail, and deer hunting as well as its trophy fishing. The highlight is the beautiful and spacious main house that was built with the finest materials and with meticulous attention to detail. The centerpiece of the home is a massive den that blends perfectly with the gorgeous natural setting. Its special features include a stone wood-burning fireplace, a large bar with refrigerator and ice maker, and a 10-person dining table for large family or corporate gatherings. Equally special are the fully-equipped gourmet kitchen with wine captain and the huge master suite that features a marble steam shower, a pair of walk-in closets, an office and a gym. There are also two additional bedrooms with their own baths and sitting areas, a large laundry room and both a screened porch and deck.

Numerous other structures and amenities can be found on the plantation.

“This is a very unique plantation that is not only beautiful but with a superb location just minutes from Myrtle Beach,” said National Auction Group president William Bone. “With no minimum bid required, this is an unparalleled opportunity to purchase a special lifestyle that might remain in a family for generations.”

National Auction Group
(800) 650-8720

 

Ashe Takes Oath as Fish & Wildlife Director

Dan Ashe was sworn in as the 16th director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on June 30. President Obama had nominated Ashe to head up the nation’s principal federal agency dedicated to the conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats last December. Thanks to his father’s 37-year career at Fish and Wildlife, Ashe is in fact a lifelong veteran of the service. After receiving his Master’s degree from the University of Washington, the Atlanta native spent 13 years working on Capitol Hill before joining Fish and Wildlife. He subsequently served as the service’s assistant director for external affairs from 1995 to 1998, as the chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System from 1998 to 2003, as science advisor to the director of the service from 2003 to 2009, and, most recently, as the service’s deputy director for policy.

Said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, “Dan Ashe has served with distinction and integrity in the Fish and Wildlife Service for more than 15 years. He has worked tirelessly to prepare the Service to meet the resource challenges of the 21st century, and his leadership and vision have never been more necessary. I’m excited to work with him to foster innovative science-driven conservation programs and policies to benefit our nation’s fish and wildlife and its habitat.”

Said Ashe, “I’m humbled by the trust that the Secretary and the President have placed in me, and most of all, by the responsibility of leading the finest wildlife conservation organization in the world. As director, I will strive to create an atmosphere where we can bring to bear our collective imagination, our tenacity, and our commitment to public service to address today’s challenges to the future of our nation’s fish and wildlife heritage.”

Read more HERE.

 

For Sale: Elk Song

My journey to Elk Song began with a dream: a dream cut short by an old war injury. The dream belonged to my grandfather, who owned a fine sub-irrigated sandhill cattle ranch in Eastern Colorado that I cheated for more than 25 years, cheated against beef in favor of a waterfowl and upland bird paradise. Population growth and pressure to turn it into an irrigated farm dictated that I walk away from the only home I had ever known and seek a new world.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSS SEYFRIED
PUBLISHED SUMMER 2011

Several years of searching led me to the Blue Mountains in Eastern Oregon and another dream; one tarnished by abuse but not without hope. I found a magnificent raw canvas, canvas smeared with overgrazing and unreasonable logging, but it was a canvas that begged for a gentle hand that might return it to its pre-European glory. My dream began the day after Thanksgiving some 15 years ago with a pre-dawn ride over a goat-trail road that topped a ridge and offered a vista of several miles. Before me I saw four broad open ridges. Each was cut by dark timber, and all were covered with elk. I had just found 7,000 acres crisscrossed by 12 miles of flowing streams and cloaked with 4,000 acres of timber. That was the good news.

The bad news was that down low a substantial portion of the riparian areas resembled dirt ditches. Overgrazing had taken a terrible toll. Higher up, half of the timber had been plundered in the most irresponsible way. And the native elk herd? It had been savagely overhunted. No matter how hard I looked, I could find no branch-antlered bulls. The small forest folk were also missing. What to do? The first thing I did was buy the property. Then I brought my son on board to help. I had hunted much of the western United States and a good bit of the rest of the world, and I had never seen any- thing that approached the majesty of this ranch, even in its abused state. To the east, it was four miles to a hospital, a four-year university, grocery stores, and an interstate. To the west, one could ride a horse 100 miles and not cross a highway. My next step was the logging contract: stop the greedy plunder that cut all of the good and left only a little bad timber. I forced the logging company to implement the sort of sustainable practices it preached in its advertisements but failed to follow on my land. It would log in a sustainable and responsible manner. Doing this would leave significant stands of high-quality timber and millions of young, healthy trees for the future. Now it was time to face my cattle dilemma.

A good number of locals and even some game department personnel believe that “if you take the cows off, the elk will leave.” According to this old saw, livestock eat bad grasses and leave the good for the elk. After nearly 50 years as a cattle rancher, I have yet to encounter the Hereford that chooses to abide by this theory. Thus, no cattle grazed on our mountain that first spring. Elk numbers soared. Many hundreds of cow elk had wee spotted calves that scampered in the tall grass and wildflowers that reached their mamas’ bellies. To say that the elk were delighted with the absence of the bovines is an understatement. These happy elk were the most vocal I had ever heard; their sounds resembled humpback whales and created the soul, and name, of Elk Song. That fall dozens of rifles were silenced. I am not anti-hunting. I am a licensed guide and professional hunter. But the boys of Elk Song needed a break. When autumn returned we saw a few four-point bulls. A year later we thrilled when we saw a six-point. At the end of the third year, the September rut was a sight to behold. Instead of the occasional squeal of a yearling spike, dozens of deep bugles echoed across the ranch. The nearly perfect grazing habits of the elk allowed native grasses and forbs to repopulate and the general condition of the range to greatly improve. The entire ecosystem began to thrive. Black bears fattened on the berries in hawthorn thickets in the creek bottoms. Coyote returned. Snowshoe hares and red digger squirrels enticed eagles. The occasional cougar track suggested all was well. Grass and sedges returned and gave the wild rainbows shelter and more insects. On the fourth summer we brought in 175 cow-calf pairs to graze. They came in May and left in mid-June while all of the grass was green. This kept the cattle from destroying the riparian areas in late summer. Domestic cattle have a place in paradise, but they don’t rule Elk Song.

After 15 years we are almost there, almost at a state of pure wildness. Now we almost do not notice a big six-point bull. Most days we see dozens of them along with bear, deer, turkey, grouse, rabbit, squirrel, coyote, cougar, and trout. One evening last September, we counted 200 cow elk on a ridge. There were 43 six- and seven-point bulls with them, and the bugles and screams of a hundred more bulls echoed out of the canyons and thickets. Yes, the timber is still young, but it is thick and wonderful. Elk Song is indeed wild, and ever evolving toward 200 years ago. And now it is time for change once again. To the many who question our sanity for leaving the paradise that is Elk Song I say it is not by choice, but to bring an end to hostilities caused by a family member. It is time to pass the torch, to allow another to hold the reins and experience the wonder of Elk Song. We will begin again, returning to our roots on the Great Plains where waterfowl and upland birds thrive, and find another canvas on which to create wildness once more.

Elk Song’s 7,198 acres are listed with Oregon Land and Wildlife for $8.585 million.
For more information, contact:

Tim O’Neil
www.landandwildlife.com
(541) 480-3682

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