When purchasing a legacy ranch, most investment-minded buyers are focused solely on the land’s appreciation potential. By harnessing the expertise of experienced brokers, buyers are able to understand markets and analyze trends with the age-old goal of “buying low”, and at some point in the future, “selling high.” But unlike commercial real estate, rarely do investors expect significant cash flow or annual profits from legacy or sporting properties.
However, two new offerings located in the heart of eastern Montana’s grazing country provide a rare investment opportunity to own true legacy ranches that have historically been profitable, generating cash flow for their owners year after year.
The Cinch Buckle and Antelope Springs Ranches are managed by Grasslands, LLC, a renowned ranch management company and global leader in Holistic Planned Grazing. On both ranches, Grasslands’ focused management techniques have restored the grasses and strengthened the landscapes’ overall ecological diversity, leading to increased livestock capacity on both ranches. The increased capacity, combined with Grasslands’ extensive investment in water infrastructure and ranch improvements, has allowed them to enjoy a level of profitability that would have been unimaginable on these ranches years ago.
For yield-seeking investors with little-to-no ranching experience, both Cinch Buckle and Antelope Springs are attractive options. Grasslands is willing to remain the manager on both ranches after the sale and work with the new owners to continue improving the landscapes, increasing operational efficiency and producing an annual profit. As landowners know, securing a qualified, trusted manager can be a significant hurdle for ranches of any size. So it’s truly a one-of-a-kind opportunity to work directly with one of the world’s leading ranch managers on a property where they have had years of proven, quantifiable success.
Grasslands’ business model does not involve owning cattle—they exclusively run the cows of area cattlemen. However, Grasslands has retroactively modeled what its annual returns would have been had they owned the cattle, and the profits would have been even greater. As buyers evaluate this opportunity, it is worth considering and analyzing the potential of owning both the land and the livestock.
The expectation of continued annual returns from Grasslands’ custom management, combined with the continued appreciation of the land make both ranches unique investment opportunities. As an added bonus, buyers could enjoy the satisfaction of knowing they are bolstering a massive swath of prairie grasslands—healing the land, increasing biodiversity, and sequestering carbon from the atmosphere.
For more information on either ranch, please contact listing broker Duffy Brown. Financial statements and retroactive modeling can be provided to qualified buyers upon request.
