Gene Stewart Real Estate is located in San Saba, Texas, and lists ranch and land properties for sale in San Saba, Mills, Brown, Lampasas, and other counties as they become available. If you are looking for that special river property, wildlife management ranch, or a place to simply relax, give them a holler.
Find out more about Gene Stewart Real Estate:
McKinnerney & Associates Real Estate has offices in both Richland Springs and San Saba, Texas. If you are looking for land in San Saba County, then you can’t buy until you’ve checked them out. They know the habitat and land of the northern Hill Contry. Find out more about McKinnerney by contacting them:
Texas Homestead Real Estate can help you find the property of your dreams. These professionals are located in Andice and are ready to help you find the ready-to-go ranch or raw property of your dreams. If you are looking for raw land, hunting land, or a working ranch in Burnet or Lampasas County, make sure you check them out. You can find out more about their listings at their website located below:
Brush Management or brush “sculpturing”, as it is sometimes referred to, is an important way to improve wildlife habitat. For example, in Texas, Ashe juniper (cedar) and mesquite are invasive species that require management. Mature juniper, especially on land with a history of overgrazing and lack of natural wildfires, can literally take over the landscape. In and around these cedars it may become an “ecological desert.”
They shade out mid and under-story vegetation, reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the ground and restrict the growth of other important plant species. A little work to remove some of this brush to create a “patchy” landscape will greatly benefit many species of wildlife. Remember, some cedar is beneficial because it is evergreen and provides year round cover for many wildlife species.
However, it must be kept in balance with other plants and trees. Diversity is the key.
Hunting is generally a fall activity, when wildlife populations are at their highest. Seasons can be set for a single animal or for a group of animals, but they vary from state to state. Weapons can also be season-specific. The following is a breakdown of the major game animals including broad season descriptions. Be sure to check with your state fish and wildlife agency for specific dates and regulations.
White-tailed deer – The most popular game animal in the United States is hunted by rifle, muzzleloader (a single-shot rifle loaded from the muzzle), archery (compound or primitive bows) or crossbow. Archery seasons generally start in September and can run through January. There can be breaks in the season to allow for other types of weapons like crossbow or muzzleloader. Rifle seasons generally permit all types of weapons. For landowners concerned about high-powered rifles, archery can be an excellent alternative.
Wild turkey – The fastest growing form of hunting is done in both fall and spring with shotguns or archery equipment. Fall seasons are open to either male or female turkeys and can start in October and run through December. Season lengths on wild turkey are usually more restrictive than on deer. The spring season is for males only and generally runs from April through May.
Migratory birds – Ducks, geese, woodcock and doves have seasons based on a federal framework. Shotgun season generally starts in September and runs through January. Seasons can be highly variable, so always check current regulations.
Small game – Squirrels, rabbits, grouse, quail and pheasant are the most common animals in this classification. Small game hunting with a shotgun or a .22-caliber rifle is an excellent way to get youth started in the sport. Seasons can begin in August (squirrels) and run through February.
Seasonal events such as harvest festivals, Easter- or Halloween-themed activities and Winterfests are a unique way of attracting tourists to your farm during specific months of the year. This option benefits farmers who don’t want to be open to the public year-round or who simply want to bring in income during a slower part of the season.
Dan Pawlowski and his wife, Diane, operate Pumpkinville, the oldest original pumpkin farm in New York, located outside of Great Valley. Catering to families with their motto, “Your family’s fun is our business,” Pumpkinville not only offers a limitless supply of pumpkins, but fall harvest attractions such as hayrides, pony rides, farm animals, a cornfield maze, picnic pavilion and a pick-your-own pumpkin patch as well.
With a passion for agriculture, Dan Pawlowski left a position in business 11 years ago to pursue a career in growing pumpkins. “We originally started out just selling pumpkins; since then we gradually evolved into an agricultural entertainment farm,” he says. “We discovered that there’s never much money in growing anything; the box stores have seen to that.”
Pawlowski has carved his niche by operating an entertainment center that offers families the opportunity to spend a day taking part in fall harvest activities on his farm during September and October.
“It’s a fun business, but it can also be quite competitive; you have to work hard to stay on top,” explains Pawlowski.
“If you don’t want to work 14-hour days for at least two months straight, then this isn’t for you. And the rest of the year, you’re growing your crop and getting the place ready for opening day. You might have to work long, hard hours, but you still get to be your own boss and you can get a lot of satisfaction out of the job.”
Of course, the lure of working for oneself is one of the strongest incentives for this kind of hobby-farm venture. But the more you want to offer, the more likely you are to need help. A typical fall-harvest farm might require 10 or more employees for such non-farming activities as traffic and parking management, ride operation and ticket sales.
Planning ahead for that two-month spike in expenses like payroll and employee taxes will help you get the most from your agritourism business.
Also known as “U-Pick” throughout America, “pick your own” farms provide customers with the opportunity to pick their own produce at a savings to both the customer and the farmer, who would normally have to pay for the labor involved. At the same time, this business can offer visitors an education in agriculture, including how crops are grown and which crops thrive best in a given climate. In addition to pick your own, many farmers sell their produce right on the farm, either through simple stands or through larger-scale country markets, to entice visitors with the concept of one-stop produce shopping in a simpler setting.
Baugher’s Orchard and Farm is a 100-year-old, family-operated farm located in Westminster, Md., that offers “pick your own” from June through October. With two market locations—one on and one off the farm—as well as a bakery and small restaurant, Baugher’s has a lot to offer.
“We’re basically a fifth-generation family business that started out with Mrs. Baugher baking pies out of her basement and selling them door-to-door on a little cart,” explains Cheryl Vural, Market Manager at Baugher’s.
“Those pies are still made in our bakery located right here on the farm, which is run by her granddaughter.”
Vural adds that when starting up an agricultural business, getting the entire family involved can certainly be beneficial. However, as any marketing textbook will tell you, it helps to find a special niche and expand on it.
“Find something unique that no one else is doing,” she says. “There are a lot of farms that do pick your own, but there aren’t any in this county, for example. So we have a large customer base. Likewise, there’s some produce we grow that others don’t. People come from three and four states away just for our sour cherries because no one else offers them.” Once you’ve identified your niche, make sure you promote it in all of your marketing materials, whether it’s newspaper ads, billboards or just a roadside sign.
Fallow disking refers to disking the soil in the winter months after the first freeze, but prior to the first green up of spring. This promotes the germination and growth of grass, weed and wildflower seeds already present in the soil. Many seeds lie dormant in soil, are commonly referred to as the soil seed bank, and can spring into action with the right amount of stimulation — disturbance and sunlight.
Some of these seeds may have been dormant for years, but with a little disking to expose them, and hopefull a little rainfall, they should grow vigorously. Of course, the application of this management practice will depend upon the soil found on your ranch property.
These natural weeds and wildflowers are very important to wildlife and are preferred over most introduced “wildlife plants.” Lower succession plants are preferred to climax plant communities, and fallow disking provides low successional plants.
First, it is important to learn about the ecology of wildlife species found in the area. All wildlife have a minimum size of area they need to live and reproduce. This is their home range. Some animals such as small reptiles and amphibians have small home ranges of only a few hundred yards.
Others, however, like white-tailed deer or wild turkeys, have home ranges of a square mile or more. Wildlife species to be considered for management are those in which a landowner’s property supports and encompasses their habitat and home range or at least a significant part of it.
Second, what species of wildlife are already living on and around the property to be managed and which would benefit most from some type of management. Finally, what type of wildlife management practices would be most economically and environmentally feasible to meet the goals and objectives of the landowner.