family land in texas

You are close. I live just outside of Hondo.

If there is no irrigation water on your place, any kind of agreement to suit you will be hard to come by. Rain is just too sketchy here for these guys to make a big investment. You may not get a hay crop in 2-3 years and then get 2-3 cuttings in a year.

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I used to mill a lot of mesquite, also, and the only thing I had against texas mesquite was a lot of it had a "ring shake" down the center where the tree had been killed and then started growing again from the roots, I guess. If the trees are already big and close together they will grow straight up looking for sunlight and the trunks will be straight and yield premium straight lumber for doors and such. I hate to see stuff like that go into BBQ chips and firewood.

If you have the time to mess with it and big trees, you can sell off the sections of wood for things like turning blocks and carving blocks, and if you are willing to mill it into lumber, an 8 foot trunk that will square off to a foot square and saw into planks is worth upwards of $1000, or used to be. If it is truly second growth, there may be large root systems down there that will let the trees grow back quickly if they are left alone....Joe

Thanks Bobby. That's the info I was looking for. It sounds like the best bet would be to find a cattle guy that would actually treat the land well. I think my MIL just didn't have enough connections to find that right person.