On the Block: Wyoming’s Y Cross Ranch

Ron Morris of Ranch Marketing Associates reports that the Y Cross Ranch has come on the market for the first time since it was assembled by Courtenay Davis in 1941. Located northwest of Cheyenne, the 60,000+ acre swath of Wyoming cattle country will be sold via sealed bid. The ranch totals 60,782 acres and consists of 50,333 deeded acres, a 3,949-acre State of Wyoming lease, and a 6,500-acre Forest Service lease acres for a total of 60,782 acres.

The Y Cross Ranch has traditionally operated as a cow/calf ranch and averages 650 to 850 pairs along with 650 to 800 yearling cattle. The ranch’s water rights, some of which date back to the days of the Wyoming Territory, support the production of more than 1,000 tons of grass hay. In addition to its cattle operation, the ranch supports a significant big game population, including elk, mule deer, antelope, black bear, and the occasional moose or mountain lion. Yearly hunting revenues range from $40,000 to $60,000.

In 1997, the ranch was donated by the Courtenay Davis Foundation to the Colorado State University Research Foundation and the University of Wyoming Foundation as joint beneficiaries. Since then, the Y Cross has served as a working laboratory for observation and study of plant and animal systems in a natural environment along with scholarship and/or internship support for Colorado State University and University of Wyoming students majoring in agriculture and natural resources.

The Y Cross Ranch is being offered for sale in its entirety and includes all real estate, improvements and water rights, through a sealed bid process. Broker cooperation is invited. Contact Ron Morris of Ranch Marketing Associates for details at (970) 535-0881 or ron@rmabrokers.com.

Read more HERE.

The Land Report Summer 2012

Did you know that the Supreme Court just issued a landmark ruling? I’m not talking about health care. I’m talking about land. That’s right, the high court came down 9-0 for landowners in a suit that was brought against the EPA by Idaho’s Sackett family.

We’ve been following Sackett v. EPA for over a year. It’s one of the many eye-opening stories you’ll enjoy in the Summer 2012 issue of The Land Report, now on newsstands from coast to coast.

You can access the digital edition free of charge HERE.

Our summer issue also features the story of an innovative gift to the University of Wyoming, one that kicks in when Wyoming’s River Bend Ranch sells. It’s a great example of stewardship, one that Greg Fay brought to us and that we are proud to share. Learn five great ways to add value and beauty to your land by improving your waters. And be sure to have a look at our third annual roundup of the nation’s leading auction houses. No surprise here … farmland prices continue to best record highs.

So be our guest and enjoy our latest issue HERE.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

The Land Report Spring 2012

Enjoy the Spring issue of The Land Report!

Learn the stories of America’s Best Brokerages in our second annual survey. More than 70 are profiled from coast to coast. Read how Bernie Uechtritz pulled off 2011′s Deal of the Year by selling Camp Cooley Ranch in just 45 days. Find out why George Clooney has such strong ties to the land in the Academy Award-winning movie The Descendants.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter. Better yet, Land Report is now on Pinterest.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

Land Report March 2012 Newsletter

The Spring issue of The Land Report has arrived!

Right now it’s en route to bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and subscribers’ offices around the world, but thanks to the miracles of modern technology you can read right now right HERE.

Learn the stories of America’s Best Brokerages in our second annual survey. More than 70 are profiled from coast to coast. Read how Bernie Uechtritz pulled off 2011′s Deal of the Year by selling Camp Cooley Ranch in just 45 days. Find out why George Clooney has such strong ties to the land in the Academy Award-winning movie The Descendants.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter. Better yet, Land Report is now on Pinterest.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

Land Report February 2012 Newsletter

More and more investors are turning to land. Not only is it a safe haven for their capital, but in many instances it can throw off steady revenue streams. The February edition of the Land Report newsletter showcases numerous properties with substantial income-generating potential.

Let’s start with Hudye Farm: almost 18,000 acres of dryland and irrigated farming along the Colorado-Kansas state line.

Add to this Montana’s Broken O Ranch, which features The Treasure State’s largest block of irrigated land as well as an impressive cow-calf operation and significant recreational income.

We also provide hyperlinks to eight other properties in The Land Report Top Ten, including several significant cattle operations with proven returns, including Hawaii’s Hana Ranch, Texas’s Rockpile Ranch, and Montana’s Dana Ranch.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

Sold! Colorado’s Banning Lewis Ranch

This week, Ultra Resources confirmed that the company had purchased 18,000 acres of the Banning Lewis Ranch for $20 million. With the sale now complete, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the City of Colorado Springs will need to determine whether the city land-use agreements related to the city’s 1988 annexation of the ranch should remain intact.

Confirming the purchase of the ranch, an Ultra spokeswoman said that the company expects to drill for oil and natural gas on the ranch. And it appears that the Banning Lewis deal may be just one part of Ultra’s plans for drilling in the area, as the company paid $1.67 million in July and August to Denver-based Pine Ridge Oil & Gas for leases on nearly 100,000 acres of land in eastern El Paso County and an exploratory well east of Fountain.

According to Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach, the sale of most of Banning Lewis Ranch to Ultra means “there is a real possibility that the Banning Lewis Ranch will not be built into residential and commercial neighborhoods as previously expected.”

In a statement, Colorado Springs City Attorney Chris Melcher said that the city will continue negotiations with Ultra “to reach a satisfactory resolution of the annexation issues, but if that effort is not successful the city intends to seek enforcement of all rights and responsibilities under the agreement in the Colorado bankruptcy court of Colorado state court.”

Click HERE to read more.

 

 

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: Canadian River Ranch

Anyone familiar with the history of the American West knows the legend and lore that surrounds the historic XIT Ranch, whose 3 million acres encompassed the bulk of the western edge of the Texas Panhandle. The Canadian River Ranch covers some 111 square miles of the old XIT, including substantial frontage on both sides of its namesake, the Canadian River. The ranch’s varied topography rises from wide river bottoms to iconic mesas, but throughout its history it has been operated as a commercial cattle outfit.

Located 65 miles northwest of Amarillo, the ranch can also be accessed via a paved 4,500-foot land strip situated close to the headquarters. The ranch’s 7,000-square-foot, 6-bedroom, 6½-bathroom lodge is just one of many well maintained improvements, which include a ranch manager’s house, pilot’s quarters, barns, pens, and housing for the hands.

These 71,059 acres combine to form one of the largest contiguous land holdings inthe Texas Panhandle. The ranch is watered by 26 miles of the Canadian River. Not surprisingly, the Canadian River Ranch boasts exceptional hunting. Two state record mule deer have been recently harvested, and elk, bear, and mountain lion have also been sighted.

$33.753 million ($475 per acre)
(806) 763-5331
www.chassmiddleton.com

Land Report July 2011 Newsletter

There’s a lot of ground to cover in the July edition of The Land Report newsletter: auctions, equities, timberland, and several political developments affecting landowners, ranging from the passage of key legislation by the Texas Legislature to the appointment of Dan Ashe to head the federal agency that many landowners know on a firsthand basis, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

From a research standpoint, a new frontrunner has emerged atop The Land Report Top Ten, which features the country’s leading investment quality land listings. Count on The Magazine of the American Landowner to follow the $100 million listing of Wyoming’s Walton Ranch by Ranch Marketing Associates in the months ahead.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, sales, and countless other stories pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

 

For Sale: Vermont’s Teal Farm

Set at the western base of Camels Hump State Park, Teal Farm is a world unto itself.  Its 500 acres includes a sustainably-managed northern hardwood watershed with streams, pond, wetlands, extensive trail network, waterfalls, and mountain pastures.  The forest provides much of the property’s bio-fuel, as well as ideal wildlife habitat.  The fenced pastures support a mixed herd of grass-fed Devon and Angus cattle that is rotationally grazed, which adds to the healthy stewardship of the land.  The property has a 100-year master plan, which includes a 10-acre permaculture orchard, believed to be the largest in North America, featuring fruits, nuts, fuel-wood, berries and fertilizing groundcovers that grow in sculpted microclimates around the buildings.

The property is an integrated, ecologically-designed farmstead that was created as a prototype for perpetual food, building and energy systems that are responsive to climate change, fluctuating energy supplies and a shifting global economy.  The flagship project of not-for-profit foundation LivingFuture, Teal Farm is located in the Green Mountain State of Vermont and is being offered for sale to support LivingFuture’s next project.

Founder and Executive Director Melissa Hoffman describes LivingFuture’s work as “living systems design.” It is an approach that strives to mimic natural processes and evolutionary dynamics in the re-design of physical and cultural infrastructures so that they become perpetually life-enhancing and foster creative, adaptive communities at local and global scales.  Melissa believes that our actual survival is at risk, and as such it falls on us to begin the project now, to invent the structures, both physical and cultural, internal and external, which will allow our species, and the system of life as whole, to thrive beyond the enormous challenges we are only beginning to encounter.  To that end, her foundation undertook the Teal Farm project, whose mission is “to create an ecologically intelligent food, energy and building system that perpetually enhances the environment and serves the evolution of its occupants”.

The farm complex includes an 8,000-square-foot, green-designed, farmhouse that dates back to 1865. Other improvements include an iconic 12,000-square-foot Douglas Fir-framed energy barn that houses the property’s state-of-the-art renewable energy and heating system, a converted post-and-beam barn apartment studio, a caretaker’s residence, and a utility barn/garage.  The farmhouse and energy barn set a whole new standard for green design and construction by running on renewable energy systems that marry cutting-edge technology with exquisite design and craftsmanship.

Teal Farm is a place of inspiration, a creative retreat, and a living laboratory intended to support innovation around issues of global importance.  Tucked away in a charming New England town, Teal Farm is only one hour by plane from Boston and New York City. The property is not protected from future development, leaving conservation tax advantages available for the next steward to explore.

$15,495,000
(802) 434-7798
www.EarthAsset.com

 

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