Rocky Hollow Buffalo Company

Ranch Description

There is nothing more nostalgic in the west than the iconic American Bison. Rocky Hollow Buffalo Company is a fully operational Buffalo Ranch, located in the panhandle region of Nebraska. Boasting 2298 +/- acres of beautiful short grass prairie with a series of pastures that promote rotational grazing that mirrors the buffalo's natural grazing style.

Land

The Rocky Hollow Buffalo Company is a beautiful ranch consisting of 2298 +/- deeded acres. Topography of the ranch is rolling hills of native grassland and outcroppings of Carboniferous Limestone. The long valleys and gradual slopes of the panhandle offer a beautiful contrast of short grass prairie and white limestone rock outcrops. This is a classic short grass ranch with long views of flowing prairie filled with wildflowers and teaming with native wildlife. The ranch is also enrolled in a Crp-G contract for the next 13 years that provides a constant return while still allowing the owner to graze the ranch.

Improvements

The ranch has plenty of improvements including two homes, a mobile home, a large 60'x42 Morton Building, a large livestock barn and multiple outbuildings. There are high fence working facilities with an oversized hydraulic squeeze chute to handle the Bison. Both homes on the ranch are very good homes with very nice comfortable finishes.

Home 1 has 1798 Sq. Ft. on the main level with an open floor plan plenty of space to entertain. The kitchen features a beautiful bar and stainless appliances. The living area has wood composite flooring, large windows and there is a large wood burning stove to cozy up the space as well. The home is a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom, featuring high ceilings and nice wood trim. Additional features include forced air heat, A/C and a large partially finished basement with two additional bedrooms and an attached two car garage.

Home 2 is a 1046 Sq. Ft. on the main level with a galley style kitchen and comfortable living area. The main living area has a wood stove and plenty of space for leisure. There are 2-bedrooms and 2-bathrooms on the upper level with nice finishes throughout. The home also features a partially finished basement with forced air heat and A/C. Currently this home generates monthly in rental income.

The ranch has six wells. Several wells service the pastures giving livestock and wildlife access to plenty of water sources throughout. Tanks are a mix of galvanized metal and rubber tire tanks. The perimeter fencing and interior fencing is a mix of 4 to 6 wire fence with electric high tensile wire on the top two wires with some metal gates and some wire gates.

Recreation

Agritourism is one of the fastest growing trends across the west and the Rocky Hollow Buffalo Company has been very progressive in capitalizing on the opportunity. Currently the ranch offers buffalo tours and onsite camping for visitors who want to bring their own RV and stay for a few days to ride around the property and live among the buffalo. Additionally there are several other kinds of wildlife that call the ranch home. Mule Deer, pronghorn, prairie grouse, coyotes, badgers, multiple songbirds and small mammals as well. The entire experience of the ranch takes you into the past and the nostalgia of buffalo and their mark on the American west.

The ranch is within 2 hours of Lake McConaughy, the largest lake in Nebraska that offers excellent fishing for anglers and white sand beaches and various watersports for all kinds of enjoyment. Additionally, the ranch is less than an hour from the Wildcat Hills and Carter Canyon conservation lands which provides access for hunters and hikers to enjoy the beauty of the area.

Agriculture

The ranch has been operated as a full-scale commercial bison ranch for the many years and the herd is an incredible award-winning bison herd with exception genetics. The current carrying capacity of bison is approximately 125 +/- head including bulls, cows and calves. The grass in the area is prime buffalo habitat and the pastures have been cross fenced and utilized to promote the natural rotational grazing habits of the bison. The ranch has a very well-designed working facility as well that boasts high impact corrals and a heavy duty squeeze chute to protect and to control the bison when it is time to handle them.

Water/Mineral Rights & Natural Resources

Any mineral rights owned will convey with transfer of deed.

General Operations

Currently the ranch is a fully operational buffalo ranch with an award-winning premium quality bison heard. The ranch functions as a full-scale breeding and grazing ranch. The ranch has multiple visitors annually that come and stay in their own RV. RV camp spots are rented and include tours of the ranch for 1-3 days depending on guest needs. The current capacity of the ranch is 12 bulls breeding and meat bulls, 23 calves/yearlings, 90 breeding cows. The ranch also sells bison meat and products as well as maintaining 3 well established and harvestable beehives providing natural honey for guests to purchase and take home to enjoy. The ranch has a long-term relationship with a buyer who purchases the bison calves annually.

Region & Climate

Banner County, Nebraska gets 17 inches of rain, on average, per year and 38 inches of snow per year. The panhandle of Nebraska has an average of 226 sunny days per year. Additionally, the area gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 79 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least.01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High the July high is around 86 degrees

Winter Low the January low is 14

Rain averages 17 inches of rain a year

Snow averages 38 inches of snow a year

History

When Nebraska became a state in 1867, a single county encompassed the entire Panhandle. In 1870, the Panhandle's southern half was organized as Cheyenne County. The arrival of increasing numbers of settlers led to the partitioning of the county in 1888 the eastern third became Deuel County the middle third became present-day Cheyenne County and the western third became Kimball, Scotts Bluff, and Banner Counties. The last of these was named by citizens who declared it would become the state's banner county, and the brightest star in the constellation of Nebraska counties.

Upon the county's organization, the settlement of Ashford was chosen as the temporary county seat. Four communities aspired to be chosen as the permanent county seat Ashford, Harrisburg, Freeport, and Banner. Two special elections proved necessary before Harrisburg was chosen.

The initial settlement of the area was by cattle ranchers, drawn by good pastures in the Pumpkin Creek valley. In the late 1880S, these open-range ranchers were displaced by an influx of settlers by 1890, almost every quarter-section 160 acres, or 65 ha was claimed by homesteaders. However, the good moisture years that had attracted these settlers were followed by a severe drought in 1893 and 1894, which drove many of the new settlers away the number of farms in the county declined by more than half, from 565 in 1890 to 226 in 1900. The land thus vacated was again used by ranchers, who raised both crops and cattle. The 1904 passage of the Kinkaid Act, which allowed homesteaders to claim 640 acres 260 ha brought a new wave of settlers however, even these larger tracts were often insufficient to support a family, and many of the Kinkaid claims were eventually sold to established cattle ranchers.

The county's growth was hindered by the absence of railroads the nearest lines ran through Kimball, 11 miles 18 km to the south, and Gering, 8 miles 13 km to the north. Roads were also slow to develop in the county in 1921, only dirt roads existed. The difficulty of reaching markets tended to discourage commercial crop farming in the county.

Location

The ranch is located just off Hwy 71 and is located approximately 30 miles south of Scottsbluff, Nebraska and 12 miles north of Kimball, Nebraska. Scottsbluff offers commercial air service and has many attractions from the North Platte River, Wildcat Hills and Carter Canyon to all kinds of shopping and service-oriented retailers. Kimball also has several amenities such as fuel stations and farm service stores.