Best areas in TX for houses w/ acreage for small family farming (Houston: employment, buying)

[kodacakes]

Hey everyone. I figured the best way to figure out more about what I'm looking for would be to ask people that live in Texas. I've been planning on moving to Texas for a while now and have decided to make the move around the end of May.

What I'm looking for: I'm hoping to find a house with around 20 acres. I would want a small amount of livestock (solely for milk, egg, meat purposes for myself and future family) so pasture is ideal but I also want to be able to grow my own fruits/veggies. From what I've read it seems like there's a lot of areas that're bad for growing veggies and that sort. So far I've been looking around the east due to more rain but I've also read that there's more problems with fungus, etc because of it. I've read areas in west Texas have very fertile soil where you can grow anything but you have to deal with rocks and water problems. I'm not saying I will find a perfect place with no issues or that problems can't be solved such as improving soil quality... I'm just wondering if anyone knows good cities for what I'm lookig for. Seeing as I plan on having a family, I'd also prefer that schools in the area are good and that it's a safe enough area. I'd also prefer not to live far away from job areas. I figure that shouldn't be too hard since I'm not looking for hundreds of acres.

Thanks for your time, input, and help! Also if any of these factors help: I'm hoping to find a 2-3 bedroom house (preferably 3), prefer not to go over around $150k price range.

[TX75007]

Based on your post, It sounds like you have very little experience at this. Your ignorance will be your biggest problem. No matter what you do, start VERY small for the first two years.

In most of TX, there will be months during the growing season when it will not rain. That will be your next biggest problem. If you have a well or large tank (pond) then that issue can be mitigated.

Top soil depth is more critical than soil type. However, most of the black clays in TX are very hard on trees.

I'd look for an area where people are already doing what you are doing. Then find a place like theirs right down to the soil type, etc. Then lean on them for information. Better, yet apprentice out.

[FalconheadWest]

And when you find someone with what you're looking for, ask them their value because $150k for what you're looking for? Where??

[GayleTX]

Kodacakes...check your direct messages, please.

[ChristieP]

$150k for 20 acres of farmable land, along with a house, is going to be a pretty tough find. And the added criteria of being close to an area with employment opportunities makes it even more difficult, if not impossible.

[lonestar2007]

I say East Texas. Start looking at property listings, see something that interests you, check out the area. I wouldn't be worrying about fungus. Find some good pastureland within your price limits and you can run a few cows on it. I'd try to find land with an existing stock tank on it to avoid the expense of having one dug or hand watering, which can get expensive.

Fencing is another expensive situation you'll have to deal with, so if the property you find has good fencing, you'll be ahead of the game in that department.

You might find a place with some existing fruit trees on it. If not, easy enough to plant some. Fence off a small area for a vegetable garden near a water supply.

[kodacakes]

Thanks for the replies. To clarify, I'm not sitting here saying I'm going to find the dream for $150k... I'm saying that ballpark is ideal. As in ive seen plenty of million dollar homes with 20 acres and I'm not after anything like that. I myself have found properties that match my description. I'm merely looking for people's thoughts and opinions, experiences, etc.

@Gayle your message was very helpful, thank you!

[High_Plains_Retired]

My home in Albuquerque is within walking distance of a volcano and I keep hearing people say I will soon run out of water at my 20-acre farm here on the Texas south plains. Well, the volcano hasn't blown up yet and people have been telling me the High Plains will soon run out of water now for over forty years. In short, no where on Earth is perfectly safe and if you allow that to be a major decision factor in where to move, you'll never move.

You will be hard pressed to find any land in Texas for less than $1000 per acre especially in the small parcels like you seek. And too, the closer to a city that land is, the higher the price.

As one who plans to buy his final retirement home in a couple of years, and doesn't want to see prices skyrocket before I do, I hesitate to post some of the local rural homes I have found out here recently. One local rural place nearby is a 2,500 square feet brick home (3 br/3.5 baths) is being offered in the $80s. However, this property has only 3 or 4 acres with it. Prior to buying my farm, one thing I have done in the past when I have found a rural home I liked but with insufficient acreage, was to catch the local farmer who owned the adjacent farm land and ask him straight up if he would be willing to cut 10 or 20 acres out of his farm and sell it to me if I bought the house. If you save big on the house, you can afford to give the farmer a premium price for his farm land. Although I did not buy this particular property, the farmer had immediately answered, yes he would.

Regarding rocks out here on the south plains, I wish I had some. However, I do suppose that there are some places in west Texas where rocks are a problem

There are several ways to work the problem but I wish you the best of luck if you do decide to come to Texas.

[texasdiver]

Before starting something like this and investing your life savings you really need to do more research using resource that know this topic....not city-data. Some suggestions.

Texas A&M has a small acreage horticulture program that would be a good starting point: About the Program | Small Acreage Horticultural Crops

Here in Waco which is basically Central Texas there are two organizations that teach small scale farming classes. Both are religious organizations that have small sustainable farms.

The World Hunger Relief Farm: World Hunger Relief, Inc. which focuses on training people to teach agriculture in the third world and urban poor areas.

The Homestead Heritage Farm: Welcome to Homestead Heritage which is a religious homesteading group that also teaches classes on farming and all other manner of homesteading skills.

Generally speaking I'd look for land somewhere in or near the rectangle defined by the four corners of Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Texarkana. I-35 which runs between San Antonio and Dallas pretty much defines the boundary between the wetter east Texas and drier West Texas zones. As you go west from I-35 you soon move out of farmland and into semi-arid ranch land. As you go east you drop in elevation and find richer soil and more regular rainfall. South of San Antonio it gets pretty scrubby. And the far edges of east Texas are pretty insular deep south type areas that probably won't hold much appeal for an outsider.

But again, I'd take this kind of thing slow. Come out and educate yourself first, tour the state, and then when you are positive you know what you are doing think about blowing the life savings on some Texas homestead. The countryside throughout Texas is just littered with small farms that failed long ago and recently. Everywhere you go in the country all you see are failed homesteads. That said, there are prospering small agricultural enterprises all over the state but they tend to be niche operations with high value products...wineries, distilleries, cheesemakers, etc.

[Lee W.]

I really wouldn't go with land near a city. Higher in price and even if rural when you get there, don't expect if to stay country for long. Central and west areas have been having drought problems in many areas for years. Check water availability not just for now, but in the future also. Keep in mind that in or near areas of high oil/gas activities recently (Eagle-Shale, for instance), prices for land or houses have shot up quite a bit as housing or commercial housing is so much in demand now. And the Hill Country areas are more expensive because so many people want to move there and developers buy up lands to develop. I've seen the general area around where I live change so much There's very little cattle or livestock around anywhere in my area. Many of the old ranches I used to see are just no more. It is sad, really.