Jessica
A ranch, by definition has several meanings. There are a great number of different types of ranches. A ranch can be a piece of property, considered to be a farm, where the owners raise beef cattle, horses, or sheep. If the property includes at least a small section of land that can be irrigated, it can be considered a farm whose owners specialize in a certain brand or type of farming. Ranches are mostly located in the western U.S. or in Canada, although farming is done throughout the United States. On average, farms are approximately 435 acres. The state of Texas is the nation’s leader in farm real estate value. When searching for a ranch for sale or maybe farm land, perspective buyers are usually looking for a large amount of real estate. They are probably either interested in expanding their business, which could be anything from raising horses to raising cattle, to crops, or any other type of farming, or maybe they are just beginning their farming venture. A ranch for sale, as well as farms for sale will include anywhere from several acres of land to hundreds, even thousands, of acres of land. This is not often a small purchase!
The value of farmland in the United States reaches up to two trillion dollars, which is no small investment. There is tremendous money to be made in this type of investment. Families account for 96.4% of the crop producing farms in this country. Farming is a very lucrative family business. Buying a ranch or a farm very often is a family affair. Generations of families will often own, work, and live together on a ranch or a farm.
Farming is very prevalent in the western section of the country. In Texas, 14% of people hold jobs in the agricultural industry, and, in California, 66 crops are farmed, which makes that state the leader in the production of such items as raisins, peaches, kiwi, and olives, among many others. Finding a ranch for sale in the state of California would give buyers unlimited opportunity to share in the massive production of any one of these products, along with other high value products as almonds, dairy products, and wine.
A buyer might begin a search in one of the western states for a guest ranch for sale. This is a type of ranch run by a rancher who typically caters to tourists and travelers. They may offer such features as horseback riding, guided hunting, or cattle drives. Working ranches, those that are exclusively in the business of farming crops or raising animals, do not usually invite tourists to stay on the property.
There are quite a number of large Montana ranches involved in the tourism of that state that open their doors to tourists who want to get a feel for what it takes to live on a ranch. They offer a bunkhouse working ranch type vacation, where guests are invited to have as much hands-on activity as they would like. These ranches offer a flavor of Old West Montana wherein tourists can take advantage of different Old West activities depending upon what season of the year they choose to visit.
In this same vein buyers who may be interested in land in Wyoming for sale might want to spend a little time on a working ranch to get a feel for the land, so to speak. Guest ranches in parts of the state offer a hands-on working ranch experience for visitors which will include horseback riding and cattle driving 90% of the time. Driving cattle is a top occupation in parts of Wyoming throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
