One picture of the land we are looking at
We looked at land this past weekend, potential future homestead sites for us, and I realized how little I know about agriculture, land, home-siting…and pretty much anything else connected with these. For instance:
1. The land is 15 acres, we are told
But the land is not really fenced, except by properties around it, some far off, that have their own places fenced. So we don’t know how much land, exactly, is included in this plot.
I figured out sometime back that an acre is about 70 yards by 70 yards. I think that is helpful, as I can take 70 big steps and then square it and gauge how big an acre is. But try multiplying that visually in my mind by 15 and it didn’t give me a good idea of how much land 15 acres really is.
Katie and I spent about ten minutes trying to cogitate on this to see if we could make an educated guess of the property’s extents. But in the end we gave up and I called our realtor to ask their realtor just how big this land is.
2. The land slopes down to a valley and back out
Is it too sloped though? For building a house? For plowing a field? For digging a pond? On the one hand it doesn’t seem that sloped but then from another angle it does. What should be the most important considerations with sloped land? Erosion? Home-siting? General usability? Cows not being able to navigate it? Tractors tipping over on it? I have no clue.
3. There’s a (currently) dry creek that runs through the property
Is that good or bad? When it rains, does it become a raging river? Does it make large areas of the land unbuildable due to flooding? Can we dam it or make a pond at one end to capture much of that water and use it for animal or garden/crop watering?
4. Is the land arable/cultivatable?
I got some help from Kevin on this question. He said to check the soil depth and whether there are lots of rocks on the land. We don’t plan to be large-scale farmers, just homestead and have a big garden, but we would like the option in the future of experimenting with planting a few acres of wheat or oats, and so we would prefer a place where that was a possibility.
5. Mineral rights
What if these only “partially” convey? What do we need to watch out for? The worst case scenario I have heard is that a big oil company comes in and rips up your land and puts a big ol’ oil well right on your property. What are the different mineral rights and is it possible to buy all of them back?
6. All the other stuff we don’t even know we don’t know
My plan: to take videos of the land and post there here so you can help me out!
If you have ideas or resources or experience on these questions, do comment and let me know.
That (photo) looks like a beautiful piece of land.
I’m sure you’ll find something that you love and suits your purposes.
The land looks beautiful. The trees may indicate deeper soil, but it also indicates that the creek out back isn’t usually dry. Those dry creek beds can get huge, especially when swamped by the remnants of a hurricane. With regard to the slope. A home can be sited about anywhere. It will require more work and land build up, but they can make a nice even surface to build on, or dig a basement. Growing on sloped land requires some special cultural practices. Never run your rows downhill, but rather put them perpendicular to the slope. Also, make beds that are separated by large swaths of grass. This will prevent the soil from washing away. Building raised beds with soil controlled by the wood boards could be a good option when only growing enough for a family. Small terraces could be built at the downward edge of each bed as well to prevent to much soil movement, and of course mulch will also help. Some of the natives grew on the mountainsides without erosion by building huge terraces. It can be done anywhere if you have a mind to figure out how.
Kevin
Kevin, very helpful and good to know. Your post earlier this week answered several of my questions, too!
Look up the Web Soil Survey from NRCS/USDA. That will help a lot with soil quality descriptions. Also check out the USGS topographic maps to see how large an area is draining through that dry creek and get a real picture of the slope. Can reply with more details (exact website) later if you need.
Daniel
PS have been wanting to contact you for a while (fellow AggieCatholic – ’02) tried beekeeping partially with your inspiration, then you moved away right when I was trying to contact you before.
Daniel,
Your name sounds very familiar to me; maybe we have met before? Well, send me an email anytime!
Oh, also get the free Google Earth and use measurement tool to pick out extents and see surrounding area aerial photos
Your local county extension office should be able to answer most of these questions for you.
Also something to consider (although you’ve probably thought of it already) is to check and see how often the land floods. A dry creekbed doesn’t typically indicate a floodplain, but it depends on how frequently the creek is dry. Also, depending on the slope of the land the (currently dry) creek might head towards a (currently dry) lake. If that lake is right where you build your house, well…bad things will happen.
All of the questions that you’re asking have answers – sounds like it’s just a matter of finding the right person to ask. No doubt your county Ag board would know of someone you could talk to.
Sincerely,
~Benjamin
Try going to http://www.acme.com/planimeter/ to get an aerial view and the ability to measure out areas.
If there was a possibility of excessive erosion, I would think it would already be eroded.
If you plan on building a house, you are going to need to do a certain amount of leveling, so unless you are building on the side of a mountain, a little slope shouldn’t make it impossible to build.
You should be able to walk the dry creek and see any debris (grass, tree limbs, etc.) left at the high water point. It might not be easy to see at first, but there should be some sort of debris there if you look hard enough.
If there are grass and trees growing then you should be able to grow something. Try using a thin rod or an extra-long screwdriver as a soil probe to get an idea of the soil profile (just push it into the ground as far as you can to figure out if there is a rock ledge or compaction layers, etc.)
I’m greatly simplifying about the mineral rights, but every piece of land should have mineral rights that belong to someone. 15 acres would have 15 acres of mineral rights, but you might only own part of them (or none at all). If I could get any of the mineral rights to a property I would consider it a plus.
I don’t know about TX, but in OK if a oil well is going to be drilled the mineral rights need to be leased from the mineral right owners. There is a certain land base that needs to be leased for each well (160 acres for a shallow well, up to 640 acres for a deep gas well). On a 160 acre lease, typically two wells might be drilled on each 80 acre parcel and there is a setback from the perimeter of the quarter section and any structures.
So, if you owned 10 acres of the mineral rights and they drilled a deep well somewhere on the section (640) you lived on, you would get 10/640th of the royalties from that well. And, the odds of them drilling on your property would be the same if you owned all 15 acres of mineral rights or none of them.
I also wouldn’t hold my breath thinking I could buy all 15 acres of mineral rights back, I doubt if anyone would be willing to sell them.
Good luck and I hope that helps a little.
Rich that helps a great deal! I just mapped out the acreage and it matched it almost exactly. Good tips.
Devin,
I feel your pain with not having a clue as to land area, and even to how much an acre is. We are in luck with technology though! A few months ago I googled “measure land area with google maps” and there are lots of tools out there to easily do this. I measured the feild in back of my house on the google maps, then walked outside and got a feel for the size. Enjoy!:
http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-area-calculator-tool.htm
For finding boundries of property, try http://www.netronline.com, then go to public records, and find the county assesor. It varries by county and by state, but some areas have incredible detail. In Jackson county WI, I was able to get a google maps-style aerial map with boundaries and names of owners available at a click. Combine this ability with the measuring tool and you are in business (IF your area of Texas has the info uploaded, that is).
Have fun, and wow, that is really beautiful land. Might be lava rock under the grass for all I know, but it shore is perty.
I’ve heard the soil level around here isn’t very deep. Someone told me that you’re not able to put in a basement in this part of Texas because when you dig, you hit rock so soon. I don’t know if this is true, but if it is, this may prove difficult–especially if you wish to have any sort of root cellar.
1. Looks like you are there. If boundary is “middle of creek” then you may want to negotiate changing it to the exact survey since creeks can change course. Survey and title company will clarify this for you at time of sale.
2. Slope is most likely a good thing. It will give you natural drainage. Plowing…that’s another story. I don’t like plowing to begin with…no till is my way to go for various reasons. Slope will increase cost of building pad for your home….but view out back is a plus! Pond is independent of slope…slope will help. When you build your home, you will want to get soil borings at the pad site for engineering firm to confirm pad and foundation design. Get the soil boring folks to core a couple potential pond sites…it’s cheap and it will tell you where you need to stop to ensure you get proper clay seal on your pond. Erosion – wouldn’t worry about it unless you see evidence of it. If you cultivate naturally without tilling / plowing, you’ll be fine. Cows – no worries. Tractors – be careful, plenty of folks have been seriously hurt riding along steep inclines.
3. Creek probably good thing…means you have natural drainage. Also blessed with a variety of ecosystems! Banks will be especially fertile! Perfect for fruit trees. Would steer away from trying to “capture” water from creek…instead, focus on capturing water that drains from / through your land, into your creek.
4. Do note that the carbon sequestration of your land (i.e. fertility and amount / quality of topsoil) can be significantly improved over time!! Regardless of what you start with. If you start off with good soil, you can improve it to great. If you start with poor, you can do the same. Steer away from “quick fixes” and mono-cultures for larger sections. Focus on management intensive grazing techniques that aerate and naturally sequester carbon. Green manure. Dung beetle fertilization. Tons of material on this!!! Exciting stuff.
5. Mineral rights. BWhen you close, you’ll understand from title company if mineral rights are conveyed with land. Very rare these days. If you don’t have them, wait till prices drop, then make an offer! (buy low and sell high). Note that you will retain land rights which gives you some leverage even if you don’t have mineral rights.
6. You’ll have to check out Bill Mollison’s Introduction to Permaculture. Awesome stuff.
BTW, thanks for introducing me to chickens and to bees!! Got started this year with bees and caught 2 swarms! 3 harvests to date and counting. Boys love it.
Enrique, this is all kinds of helpful. Thanks for taking the time to share it with me. When we do buy our land, God willing, your clan is invited to come on out and stomp around on it.
Bees! That’s so cool that you guys got them. I think Gerardo even mentioned that he went out there to do some harvesting. We might make a bee-liever out of him yet.
Don’t forget about water rights. Would you have one or three acre foot rights? Not sure what the ‘options’ are in Texas, but here in NM, if the property owner did/does not transfer the full rights, the rights of the new owner are automatically reduced.
When we were in Georgia, it was recommended to us that we walk the property during a rain to check for drainage issues. I am sure any realtor would be thrilled to tour several acres in the rain with you!
If I were you, I’d find an experienced homesteader/rancher and ask them if they’d be willing to view land with you and offer input/advice. Someone from the same area would know best what to look out for.
Amy,
Yeah good points on water. I don’t even know what water rights entail for a given piece of land, especially one not close to any river or stream. I assume that if we drill a well we can draw up as much water as we need but maybe that is what the water rights limit?
Yes, that is what the water rights limit. I was stunned to learn that you are limited as to what you can pull out of your own land, but then again, I guess I shouldn’t be. I am not sure what Texas laws are, but 1 foot acre water rights would NOT be sufficient for large amounts of farming, especially if you are going to be growing grass for creatures to consume. Mmm…raw milk!