In a time when many Americans have become very far removed from the food that they serve their family, it is no surprise that a growing number of citizens are looking at the options of returning to a lifestyle that is closer to how great grandparents were living several decades ago. From purchasing a working ranch for sale in the Panhandle of Nebraska to vacationing on guest ranches in Wyoming, many Americans want to find a way to reconnect with the land and a time when everything seemed less complicated.
In some parts of the country, many Americans are still aware of the places where their food comes from, even if they do not raise that food themselves. In the state of Texas, for example, the impact of production agriculture and related businesses on the economy is more than $37 billion a year. Not surprising then that the Lone Star State leads the nation in value of farm real estate. and while many Americans think of farming and ranching as big industry businesses, as many as 96.4% of the crop-producing farms in America are actually owned by families, not large industries.
Texas may be the biggest state of the lower 50, and they may be known for their expansive cattle ranches, but California actually lead the nation in crop production. In fact, California farms lead the nation in the production of 66 different crops, which include:
- almonds
- artichokes
- dates
- figs
- raisins
- kiwifruit
- olives
- clingstone peaches
- pistachios
- prunes
- pomegranates
- sweet rice
- walnuts
If you are like most Americans, a quick scan of that list will indicate to you that you may not be growing the food you eat yourself, it is still possible to purchase produce from crops grown in America. For the adventurous families who are willingly to trade in their corporate lifestyle and long commutes, in fact, purchasing a working ranch for sale or farmland real estate can be an opportunity to return to a hard working, but in many ways simpler, lifestyle.
How Far Back Into Your Family History Do You Have to Go to Find a Farmer or a Rancher?
Although some families may have always lived a life of white collar careers, many families can trace their combined family history to someone who farmed, ranched, or worked with the land. Working ranches for sale, in fact, are sometimes pieces of property that have been in a family for generations. Thanks to America’s natural resources and land conditions, this country may have always been destined to be one of the world?s leaders in agricultural productions. Even recent statistics indicate that in 2011 the U.S. agriculture generated a gross output of more than $374 billion U.S. dollars. Additionally, this industry employed more than 750 thousand workers in America in that same year.
In a time when consumers are concerned about the organic roots of the food that they eat, more and more families with the means may look toward a working ranch for sale to raise livestock and a working farm for sale to raise produce. In some instances, the two do not have to be mutually exclusive. It is important to realize, however, that the term “working ranch for sale” is very intentional. Like anything else in life, simply throwing in the money for a purchase will not mean success.
Families Who Do Not Want to Make a Permanent Move Can Still Enjoy Ranches and Farmlands Across America
Many hobby farmers in big cities relish the thought of checking on the crops at the home place. Whether by phone or by travel, some big city dwellers have still found a way to stay attached to the land that was once farmed full time by their family.
Likewise, some families who have never stepped foot outside of a big city are desperate for ways to let their children experience the openness of the prairie or the harvest of a crop. For this reason, guest ranches and working ranches offer families family vacation settings that will reconnect children to both nature and open space. Perhaps even with the rule of no hand held technologies for a few days, families can introduce their children to a lifestyle of rising with the sun and going to bed at sunset.