Experts Journal

The underlying theme you must recognize in making a land purchase is: Land has become recognized as an investment-class asset. While you might have many personal objectives when buying land, it is important to consider the investment qualities first before layering in personal objectives. Because, at the end of the day, your major return from this investment is most likely, and most predictably, to come from the appreciation of the asset as opposed to profits from any business operated on the property.

For the nearly 50 years I have been involved with the sale and management of ranches, I have preached the same gospel: Just because you own a ranch, doesn’t mean you have to own cows. The reverse is also true: Just because you own cows, doesn’t mean you have to own a ranch. How does that apply to the future of ranching?

Apple co-founder Mike Markkula relists his 14,000 acre California ranch in the desirable Carmel Valley for $37,500,000. Known as Rana Creek Ranch, the property is the largest landholding in Carmel Valley and is currently being operated as a cattle ranch and owner's retreat.

Looking for a Wyoming ranch with all of the amenities? Located six miles southeast of Ten Sleep, the Red Reflet Ranch can only be described as one of the most complete diversified recreational ranches that we have had the honor of representing. It operates on over 28,500 acres, which consist of a series of large deeded tracts (nearly 6,600 acres) with critical resources tied together with thousands of acres of public lands on which the ranch has grazing privileges.

April in the Northern Rockies is unpredictable.  One day you will be mowing the yard and the next shoveling the driveway.  It’s a time of year when we substantially build and store snowpack in the mountains while the valleys emerge from winter slumber.  Current snowpack conditions in and around the greater Yellowstone Ecosystem including Wyoming, Montana and Idaho are in excess of 100% and as high as 120%.