We closed on the property on March 4th, 2016. And while technically the bank owns it, we are now landowners. Everything went according to plan. It was actually quite a pleasant experience. Even our lender, Jon from Capital Farm Credit was there to give us a goody bag full of paraphernalia. I will be updating the Financials Page that captures all the details of the transaction as well as my other startup and operating costs – in the event that someone wants to learn from my mistakes.
Immediately after closing, we went to the ranch to receive delivery of an 11,500-gallon water tank that I bought on Craig’s List. The intent here is to pump water from the pond up to this holding tank so that I can irrigate and water the cattle. This is fundamental to my plans to combine mob grazing and silvopastures. I’ll elaborate more later, but in short, it is managing the cattle through small paddocks that are separated by rows of trees & shrubs. In theory, you’re able to increase production per acre this way – especially if you are able to get a cash crop from the trees. The tank is 14′ wide and 10′ tall, so offloading it was quite the chore. Fortunately Sam the truck driver was very patient with me as we dragged it off the back of his trailer. I’ll put a video on Facebook, but the pictures below give you an idea of the size of this beast. I think I got a good deal on it. The company (Seanic) was moving from Houston to Katy and they needed to get rid of it. The tank, a 1HP pump & filter, and a ladder cost me $3,250 delivered.
Later that day, Molly and I went to Williamson County Health Services and filed for our septic permit – the only permit that the county requires.
And finally, to wrap up the weekend, Jacob and I put in an 80ft section of the fence so we could move the gate back off the road. This allows us to turn onto the property without having to park on the street and open/close the gate. A big advantage when pulling a trailer. All the materials (except a few staples) I brought up from Still Waters, so it didn’t cost me anything but about 6 hours of work. Eventually, I’ll put a light on that tall post, and an automatic gate opener.
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