Month: September 2015

Categories
Cattle ranches for sale Nebraska ranch for sale

Do You Daydream About Cows?

South dakota ranches for sale

Do you daydream about buying land to become a rancher? It could become a reality if you feel it deep in your bones. The important thing to do before making any sure decisions, though, is to do your homework.

Firstly, it’s important to know the difference between a farm and a ranch. The two words are considered by most dictionaries to be synonyms, though they actually imply different things. Where a farm is an area of land and buildings used for growing both crops and sometimes raising animals, a ranch is used for the express purpose of breeding a type of animal, such as for a horse ranch or a cattle ranch.

Secondly, there are a few key considerations when looking into land plots. The grazing needs of a heifer are different than that of a horse.

When looking into a cattle ranch for sale, for example, it would be extremely beneficial to know the true “carrying capacity.” This means knowing how well the soil on the cattle ranch for sale in question does each year, and how much precipitation the region gets annually. The seller is not the absolute best provider of this information; it would be wise to consult the National Resources Conservation Office to get solid numbers to compare.

Cattle ranches seem to be a popular choice, as there were 89.9 million cattle documented in the U.S. on January 1 of this year. To put that number into perspective, one study showed there are only 2.2 million crop farms documented in the U.S. (but approximately 96.4% are owned by families).

Another important consideration when thinking about entering the ranching business is to not underestimate the amount of time the job will require. Animals need quite a bit of care each and every day, not to mention the business end of ranching. More land and more animals equate with bringing about more work.

If being a rancher and raising animals is a real life dream for you, do yourself the favor of looking into all the variables. What do you know of ranching? Let us know in the comments below.

Categories
Clothing donations St vincent de paul clothing donations St vincent de paul donation pickup

How You Can Strengthen Your Community

St vincent de paul donations

There are some organizations that just benefit everyone in the communities they serve. Charities all over the country take clothes donations a distribute them to needy people in their region. This does not just help the people who receive the clothing but does a not for the person or family who makes that donation. On a broader scale, it strengthens the bonds the tie the entire community together. It is one way to tell each other, “I am looking out for you, you are a valuable member of the community and I care.”

For people who donate, at least half of all people like to do it more when there is a pick up service. This one reason St Vincent de Paul donation pick up was started in the Philadelphia area. Some, about 42.7% also admit they give more during the holiday season than at other times during the year but more (44%) give the same all year round. Why? Because helping families in need really does feel good.

There are many ways to give back to the community in which you live. You can volunteer your time and skills to a local charitable organization. There are many that need help with clothing donations. The staff at St Vincent de Paul donation pick up have volunteers help with that task as well. There are many places to donate clothes or donate used toys to brighten some child’s holidays. If you have a skill to offer, maybe you are a great cook. You can donate your time at a soup kitchen preparing healthy food. There are so many options and too many people in need in most cities and communities around the country that you will find one that suits you.

You can go ahead and donate clothing or money to the charity of your choice. The St Vincent de Paul donation pick up is one that was designed to make it easy for people to give their used clothing and toys without a lot of hassle to them. Monetary donations are always accepted and very much appreciated and there’s the tax benefit you get when you make this kind of donation.

Host a fundraiser. It is not too hard to gather some of your friends to come to your house and hear about the charity you are supporting. This will help raise awareness of the group and perhaps increase the amount they receive.

If those ideas do not appeal to you, there are many resources online where you can find ways to show your support for your community. There are some stores that give part of their profits to local charities. There is really and endless list of ways you can help. And the positive energy you put back into the world, you will receive back yourself.

Categories
California ranch for sale Luxury ranch for sale New mexico ranches for sale

Differences Between Ranches and Farms

Ranch for sale

The agriculture business is critically important to just about everything on the planet. The United States is home to just over 2.2 million farms. The state that makes the most from the industry is California, where 66 crops are farmed. And more land will be needed worldwide for farms and ranches soon. By 2050, the planet will need at least 70% more food to feed everyone. Cattle ranches will be an important part of that equation.

In terms of numbers of calves and cattle, Texas leads the nation and it is big business there. There are almost as many cows in the state as people with 16 million. And many of those people rely on agriculture as one in seven jobs there is in that industry.

If you are interested in getting into agriculture generally and buying a cattle ranch specifically, there are things you should know first. If you are interested in hunting ranches that’s another species as well.

The Difference Between Owning a Farm and a Ranch

They look like similar creatures for sure. Both can have cows on them, for example. Dairy farms and cattle ranches are different species of agriculture business. Let’s break it down.

  1. They produce different products. Ranches are for producing meat and farms are for getting dairy products.
  2. They sell their products at different rates. Dairy sales go on all year. Ranchers sell their product, the cows, once a year.
  3. The animals are different. Dairy cows have less muscle and are thinner.
  4. They keep different hours. Dairy cows need to be milked and fed on a set schedule. Cattle on a ranch do not so the rancher schedule is more flexible.
  5. The land needs are different. Dairy cows don’t have nearly the space cattle on ranches do. Most of the land ranchers use if public land where the cattle graze. Dairy cows are just fed hay.


Hunting ranches are places, as the name would imply, where people go to kill their own game. The variety of animals is different and the way they are kept is a bit different, too. Hunting ranches have lodges for their guests tho stay, a feature absent on cattle ranches and dairy farms. While most farms are owned and run by families, nearly 96% are, hunting ranches are usually managed by staff.

If you are starting a hunting ranch, once you have bought the land, you need to get the lodge up. Once your land is stocked and ready, you need to put up surveillance equipment and get yourselves some animals. Typically these are livestock bought young and let mature on the ranch.

This can also be a rewarding experience but does take the added skill set of customer service that’s a bit more personal.

Regardless of the kind of ranch or farm, all of these add to the food supply and that is something the planet really needs right now.