tubehand

so if i have 40 Acres of land. And cattle is no longer profitable due to droughts/ grazing/ epa/ BLM/ DOA/ restrictions. I should go into ostrich ranching? I am out west. So 40 acres is not enough to make any money with cattle unless you have "proper" BLM access. Which is dwindling if anyone has been pay attention in the news with ranchers fighting the BLM.

I did buffalo and yak for a long time. Tho is was not my own venture. Any books on this? I am a skilled rancher. But idk if i could use my skills as a buffalo,yak, cattle rancher to big birds.

what about the hide? expensive eh?

yea they make the best dam boots ever. The breathe so well. Its just they cost 300 to 500 bucks.. So you never want to use them as your "WORK" boots.

hhaha i just clicked on your link

I dont ranch for income any more. I just happen to own land. I worked in the ranching business from 10 years old to 20. Moved onto other ventures in the energy industry.

I know that business inside and out, from the drug trafficking that goes on, to general livestock business.

50000 acre ranches in the South west are having probs staying profitable let alone 40 acre ranch. Water and grazing rights are harder and harder to come by.

1 acre of land can't support the same amount of head vs 1 acre of land in South east texas. This is why ranches in south east texas can be highly profitable on 200 acres. Less land= less maintenance. less land can hold more value per head. Where as in the high deserts, you need 10x the land even 20x to support the same amount of head per acre. So you either inherit a 30000, 10000 acre ranch ect. ( and I don't think many of us on reddit inherited multi million dollar ranches, or even a car haha) or you have a 50 acre ranch with access to BLM property and grazing rights. This is becoming increasingly hard to get in the SW. You have to be grandfathered in now.. Which means your family has to prove that ranch was there before the BLM, state, and or fed government existed.

You can find great advice any where, at the bar, on reddit, at work. Their are experts, in their own niche Everywhere. Its how you choose to filter what advice that matters and what to do with it.

I am not trying to farm. I don't have the infrastructure. Plus my skill set lies in ranching. Not farming, although i could start that. Ranching is more of a passion vs the 100 hour work week, or being stuck in a cubicle. Even if my income is good. Instead of buying more land, I would rather use the land I have. It is very good land for the SW. Its just know one saw the smack down the BLM was going to have and DOA.

This would be a second venture more based off of passion and it earning income. I have driven by many ostritch ranches, and they seem like pretty small manageable operations VS ranching in arid deserts/high deserts. I just had no idea their was a huge demand for the meat, and if there is. Seems like a no brainer.