Red Sky Ranch

Located in north central Kansas, near the geographic center of the lower 48, lies the Red Sky Ranch, 2,097 acres of high quality, diverse rolling hills consisting of 901 acres of tilled land, over 30 acres of lakes, nearly 5 miles of creeks and streams, and hundreds of acres of deep riparian area covered in Hardwood and Cottonwood. Red Sky Ranch a multi-faceted dry-land farm and cattle operation coupled with excellent recreational qualities throughout. This ranch produces trophy whitetail, huge numbers of turkeys, and upland game.

Red Sky Ranch is a balanced property with nearly 45% tillable ground, and the rest made up of strong grazing ground, junipers stands, and nearly 5 miles of creek bottoms that are lush with hardwoods. The countryside is hilly and dissected with deep creek bottoms with elevations ranging from 2,500 to 3,700 ft. This property is appealing and balanced, not only for recreational opportunities, but for a very diverse agricultural operation as well.

Climate

Smith Center and the Lebanon areas benefit each year from about 26 inches of rain, with the average high temperature being 66.7°F and average low being 40.2°F.  July is the hottest month with an average high of 93°F.

Locale

Red Sky Ranch is located just a few miles south of the Republican River and just south of the Nebraska state line, this area is agriculturally rich with the countryside dotted with large expanses of farm fields and thick timber bottoms. Some of the nearby small towns include Red Cloud and Franklin, Nebraska, as well as Lebanon and Smith Center, Kansas.

Hunting

Red Sky Ranch benefits immensely from its thick riparian areas and abundance of feed from all the surrounding crops on and off the ranch, creating an area thriving with big game, turkeys, and upland game. The area is well known for its whitetails but many do not know about the excellent upland hunting the area has to offer, especially what exists on the Red Sky Ranch.

Fishing

Red Sky is dotted with over 30 acres of lakes and ponds spread throughout the ranch, providing valuable water for livestock and wild game, but also trophy warm water fisheries within the boundaries of the property.

Agricultural Production

The current owner has operated the ranch under a crop rotation planting corn, beans, sorghum and follow-up crops like milo. A productive dryland farm, a conservative yield is between 110-120 bushel corn, 40-45 bushel beans and 75-90 bushel sorghum. The owner states that they easily meet these goals every year when they have good moisture. With average rainfall above 25”, this is premier dryland farm country!

Investment Value

Red Sky Ranch is truly a rare and unique ranch and farm. The property is aesthetically appealing, with many recreational opportunities, complete with great production and cash flow, all in one large, contiguous package.

Cattle Operation

Traditionally the ranch has carried 120 pair year-round with full crop production. The owner has been transitioning this program to a more intensive grazing model with 185 cow/calf pairs, 270 bred heifers and 18 bulls. The ranch is well watered and includes a good set of working facilities, as well as pasture allies to make rotational grazing efficient.