Someone recently asked me, “Land is really plentiful in Texas, right?” My response was, “Yes, but ‘good land’ isn’t as plentiful and ‘good land that is for sale’ is kind of rare.” We feel very fortunate that we found this tract of land and we also feel we are responsible for its future.
Land ownership is a serious investment and a responsibility. In the December 2017 issue of The Cattleman, Robert Fears summarizes this succinctly by stating:
Ranching begins at the soil-water-plant interface and stewards of successful ranches understand the fundamentals.
Our goals for our land are:
- Improve and Maintain – We have a complicated piece of land that requires attention. From soil and grass management to fencing and structures, we will always be in improve and maintain mode.
- Water – We are fortunate to have a natural spring fed pond and two major creeks come through our property. We have also added a big pond. We will continue to invest in water accessibility and quality on our land.
- Conservation – Water is great but it also brings challenges. The largest two threats we face are erosion and grass quality where our land and water meet. We’ve worked extensively with the NCRS on this part of our land management and will continue to do so. From the introduction of Alamo Switch Grass to beaver and nutria management, we will always consider conservation as a core part of our responsibility as land owners.
Our hope is that the Grün Ranch stays in the family for generations to come. However, if that isn’t in the future, we will eventually pass on this century and a half old agricultural acreage in better condition than when we purchased it.
