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Posted almost 14 years ago

Our Second Property

Having been overseas for quite awhile we seemed to have a need to fill of putting down some roots in one area. We bought our first house in January of 1982. In September we bought 120 acres of vacant land southeast of town with the plans of retiring there after getting out of the military. The land was very dry and there was a tract nearby that the cattle ranchers had drilled down 2000 feet and had not hit any water. We had a well drilled and was able to hit water at 60 feet and it was continued down to 101 feet to where bedrock was.

 

Being dry, we planned where we wanted to place our retirement house and got some plants from the forest service at $25/100 trees. We went out on weekends and planted these trees in a U around where we would later put out home. The well was fitted with a gas engine pump jack that would pump water after being primed with other water. I bought 350 feet of hose and hooked it up to the well to water our trees with. Every weekend, we were there watering the trees. The pump jack could run for about 3.5 hours before I had pumped the well dry. Being there every weekend soon got old so decided to quit.

 

After we quit watering the trees every weekend, we contacted the neighbor who paid us a dollar an acre per year to rent out the land for grazing for his cattle. We now had $120/year coming in and taxes of $26/year going out. Not the best type of income, but still was income. The cows loved the 500 seedling trees we had planted there as it was the greenest plant life around. The antelope and rabbits enjoyed them as well. After renting the land out as pasture we had about 15 of the 500 trees survive.


Comments (1)

  1. ha!  That actually sounds like a good ratio, knowing livestock.  Renting pasture was actually our first buy and hold, too, by accident.  Horses, though.  I'd love to know about the mhp you own now.