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The number of warm days outnumbers the cold days Powdered colostrum and milk, medicine and vaccines creep into my cabinets, fridge and freezer Very pregnant cows take on an uncomfortable stance as they vigorously switch their tails Our bulls fight hard and bellow long, low groans 2:00 in the morning is as familiar as 2:00 …

Continue reading "10 Signs Telling Me it’s Calving Season:"

If you’ve grown accustomed to social distancing and are searching for your cabin site in the woods, you may have noticed that country properties in Colorado are frequently offered in increments of 35 or 40 acres.  There are reasons behind this.  Explaining 40 acre lots goes back to the original government surveys, most of which …

Continue reading "Why are 35 and 40 acre lots Common in Colorado?"

Although much less common in and around Steamboat Springs, much of the land in Moffat County to the west is enrolled in the program.  CRP is the USDA’s acronym for Conservation Reserve Program.  It was established in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan to prevent soil erosion, improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat by establishing and …

Continue reading "CRP Land – Benefits Landowners & Natural Resources"

Wickenburg, Arizona was the epicenter for fancy horses this past weekend.  The Cowgirl Cadillacs horse auction (only in its 2nd year) was a success with the top horse fetching $225,000 (nope, not a typo)!  The auction dubbed “horses from ladies, for ladies” and is a tip of the hat to remarkable women who defied societal …

Continue reading "Top Selling horse – $225,000"

As mentioned in part 1, Colorado has some of the lowest residential property taxes in the U.S., making home ownership attractive. Taxes on vacant land with the agriculture tax classification are also extremely low.  Following is a study on how property taxes are determined in Colorado. The assessor establishes the value of properties based on …

Continue reading "Property Taxes in Colorado Simplified – Part 2"

I was recently asked about property taxes in Colorado. Property tax is calculated by multiplying the market value by the tax rate and the mill levy.  Mill levies are set by each authority providing tax supported services. For residential properties, Colorado’s taxes are among the lowest in the nation. Colorado has one of the more …

Continue reading "Property Taxes in Colorado Simplified – Part 1"

One of the most important aspects of buying a rural residential property in Colorado is understanding the water supply. Most country homes not serviced by municipal water are supplied by a spring or a well. I’ll save springs for a future discussion and will focus on the two most common types of wells found in …

Continue reading "Well, what about wells in Colorado?"

I received two calls this month from real estate agents with the same request:  A buyer looking for a Colorado ranch that will make a decent return. Assuming these buyers prefer to be closer to a bustling community or a powder-packed ski resort, I can almost always draw a line along the Continental Divide and …

Continue reading "Can a Mountain Ranch be Profitable?"

Water rights in Colorado is a complicated enough subject on it’s own. Water rights that originate on public land add another layer of complexity to an already complex property right. Generally speaking, if a water right originates on or crosses over national forest land, permission of some kind is required. Some water rights pre-date the …

Continue reading "Water Rights Aren’t Complicated Enough?"

Ranch and Resort Realty’s newest listing, Spring Creek Farm, is a unique, beautiful and rare in-town horse property that strikes a perfect balance of ranch life privacy and proximity to mountain town amenities. Read on to learn the reasons it may just fit the location balance you have been looking for. 6 Reasons Spring Creek …

Continue reading "6 Reasons Spring Creek Farm is THE ideal Steamboat Horse Property"

Buyers often ask about carrying capacity on various ranches. The answer is almost always the same…it depends. Although a ballpark number is easy to determine, the location of the ranch and even the micro-climates on the ranch itself can tip the scales. There are a few major considerations that sort to the top of the …

Continue reading "Stocking Rate?….A Loaded Question"

Maybe a slight stretch, but just slight…as I drive around Northwest Colorado this time of the year, I notice so many variations of green. The first signs of spring emerged as receding snow gave way to green grass. Various shades of green are front and center this time of the year: the lime green leaves …

Continue reading "Fifty Shades of Green"

I hear this phrase quite often here-and it’s not the sarcastic version either…spring has had to wrestle rather hard this year to convince winter to loosen its hold. With spring starting to prevail, many of the reasons we love to be here are impossible to ignore. Here’s a snapshot of 24 of my hours this …

Continue reading "Another Day in Paradise"

Belton Livestock recently did a self-audit on our farm & ranch insurance policy.  Part of the discussion with the agent was the pros and cons of insuring our livestock.  The wildfires in The West this past summer brought this issue front and center for us. The obvious drawback of insuring our cattle is the cost …

Continue reading "Insuring Livestock – Decisions, Decisions"

I recently listed the T&T Ranch south of Hayden. It shares a long boundary with a 1,368 acre parcel of land owned by the State of Colorado.  Having been a lessee of a State section for my cattle operation, I knew there would be restrictions so I took the time to dig a little deeper.  …

Continue reading "State Owned Lands: Funding Education"

If you’ve been lucky enough to experience a stay at a guest ranch, you’re familiar with the genuine hospitality, the relaxed surroundings and the inspiring outdoor excursions.  Perhaps it’s the structured focus of ranch life that allows you to leave everything behind for a few days, or maybe it’s reconnecting with family and friends, or …

Continue reading "Guest Ranches: It’s not just about the money…."

Having a perspective from both agriculture and real estate, I often notice the successful and interesting balance agricultural producers, absentee property owners and the resort industry in Routt County have established.  Steamboat Springs has maintained and protected its deep agricultural roots, making it unique among many other Colorado ski resorts. The powder is legendary and Steamboat is …

Continue reading "Ag and Resort balance in Routt County"

….and water’s for fightin’! This is an adage straight out of the Old West that has held true for generations. As one of the major sources of water in the entire West, fighting over Colorado’s water in the early 1900’s extended across state lines. An agreement was reached among seven states in 1922 that provided …

Continue reading "Whiskey’s for Drinkin’…."

While showing one of my ranch listings recently, the topic of conversation in the Ranger was materials used for the perimeter fence.  The buyer wanted to know how to mitigate the barbed wire fence to prevent one of her self-described less-than-pasture-wise horses from getting tangled up in the fence.  Colorado is a “fence out” state; …

Continue reading "Fencing: To Barb or not to Barb?"

While I attended a class on weeds over the last several weeks, the instructor touched on a question I often hear from buyers or new owners of acreage: Can I plow up the sagebrush and replace it with grass? The simple answer may seem to be to cultivate the ground, but if you do that …

Continue reading "Sagebrush Thoughts"