About Us

Camp Cooley Ranch is approximetly 10,600 acres in total. Of this, approximetly 7400 acres is improved pastureland, approximetly 1000 acres is a high fenced exotic game preserve, and about 1400 acres are "wetlands" (river bottom land). The full capacity of the ranch which is about 7,400 acres of pasture land, under Camp Cooley standards, is about 4,000 cattle units (cow/calf), about 1,000 bulls on grass and an additional 1,000 bulls in a confined, but extended 'feedlot' situation. The hay production is between 12,000-14,000 round bales and about 60,000 square bales. Fertilization is necessary.

The ranch is organized with three main work stations which are all independent on different locations on the ranch. Each station is fully covered and has a automated hydraulic working chute, a built in scale, an office/ laboratory. All the pastures surrounding these workstations have a central alley in which the cattle can be moved without disturbing the other cattle in the holding pastures.

The irrigation of the ranch contains a pivot system which covers about 300 acres. The pivot moves one cycle in three days and waters one inch per acre with a pump of 800 gallons per minute. The system is fed out of the Big Lake. The Big Lake is fed by springs, artesian wells, and natural rainwater.

About 1000 - 1200 acres can be additionally watered through mobile irrigation systems which are hooked up to three wells - one in No Man's Land pasture, one in Graves pasture, and one in West pasture. The capacity of the wells is 360 gallons per minute.

Fourteen (14) water wells feed the water troughs in, mainly all of the pastures, with the exception of 'the bottom' and, in addition, all of the houses. An electronic alarm system covers all of the pumps and detects if they are working or losing pressure. All the wells are interconnected so if one supply well fails, it will be covered by the neighboring one. The system is automatic.

Minerals (Oil & Gas)

Gas production in Robertson County is active and lucrative. There are 11 producing wells on Camp Cooley Ranch and there are not yet leased mineral acres available. "All mineral rights are available to convey either with the real property or separately. 

Overview

The ranch is a large approximate 10,600 acre working ranch property located in northeast Robertson County, approximately 13 miles NE of Franklin. It is an approximate 2.5 hour drive to either Dallas or Houston and approximately 1.5 hour drive to Austin. The property Camp Cooley Ranch is one of the largest privately owned ranch holdings in the Brazos Valley area. The ranch is well known, in the area, for its modern ranching techniques which combine a purebred cattle operation, commercial cattle, advanced genetics, and hay production. The property has above average maintenance, appeal and overall management. The following outline presented the general land features of the ranch.

Climate Conditions:

Adjacent Land Use:

The ranch is surrounded by other properties, all of which have similar topography and vegetation. These properties vary in size, with the larger properties being ranches or unimproved land and the smaller properties being primarily used as homesteads. Most of the adjacent tracts are being used for hay production or for grazing of livestock.

Flood Plain/Drainage:

Flood maps issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency indicate approximately 10-15% of the subject lies within the 100-year flood plain. Most of this area is located along the Navasota River which makes up the subjects eastern boundary. The flooding on the ranch is considered to be minimal due to the development of Lake Limestone which is located approximately 15 miles to the north. The dam is located on Lake Limestone actually controls the water flow into the Navasota River, as well as regulating the flood stages for properties below the dam. The Lake Limestone Dam Authority gives the subject property notice before flooding. This helps in the removal of livestock, as well as the control and management of the pasture lands located in the flood plain. The remainder of the property is located in Zone C, an area of minimal flooding which lies outside the flood plain.

Utilities and Services:

Water is provided to Camp Cooley Ranch by a total of 14 water wells which are scattered throughout the ranch area. This accommodates the miles of underground water pipe to each of the various ranch houses and a concrete and galvanized steel water trough located in each of the pastures. Wells are on an alarm monitoring systems. In addition to the water wells, there are also five Artesian water wells and several natural springs located on the ranch. These are used to maintain the water level in each of the lakes and stock ponds located throughout the ranch. The subject property also has water available from the Navasota River located along its eastern boundary. Sanitary sewer is provided by underground septic systems. Electricity and DSL Internet and telephone service are also available to the ranch.

Restrictions/Easements:

The ranch is located in Robertson County which does not subscribe to zoning ordinances. The subject is traversed by several pipeline and right-of-way easements. These easements are not considered to cause a hindrance to the subjects current cattle ranch operation and are typical for this type and size property.

Conclusions/Analysis:

Camp Cooley Ranch is a 10,600 acre ranch located in the northeast quadrant of Robertson County, Texas. It is irregular in shape and has vegetation and topography superior to most ranches in the area. It has a good mix of wooded area and improved pasture land to allow for cattle grazing or hay fields. Water is provided to the ranch by use of a well system, lakes and stock ponds. The ranch has good visibility and access from FM 2096 and 60 miles of iron ore roads on the property. County Road 472 bisects the ranch. (Shown as CR 372 on some maps) It provides excellent access to all areas of the ranch. Considering the road frontage, improvements and improved pastureland, the site is considered to be superior to most tracts located in the immediate area and within Robertson County.

Topography:

Based on a physical inspection of Camp Cooley Ranch, it is considered to have a similar topography as the surrounding land tracts and ranches located in Robertson County. This topography can best be described as being rolling hills, scattered creeks and some bottomland on the east side of the ranch, where it fronts along the Navasota River which is located in the 100-year flood plain and is low-lying area. Overall, the drainage for the subject site is adequate due to the rolling hills and creeks and gullies located throughout the entire ranch. The subject ranch is also improved with four large lakes of approximately 60, 30, 25, and 10 acres in size. There are approximately eight other small lakes, ponds, and stock tanks scattered throughout the ranch. According to the topography maps issued by the United States Department of the Interior elevations on the subject property appear to be in a range of about 300 to 573 feet above sea level. The property is made up of a mixture of approximately 84% improved pasture land with the other 16% being wooded or native pasture. According to the Robertson County Soil Survey published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the subject site lies in the following primary soil series:

Primary Soil Types

Padina Loamy Fine Sand-17, Dutek Loamy Fine Sand – 54, Silsted Loamy Fine Sand -66, Gladewater Clay Frequently Flooded – 96, Hearne Gravelly Fine Sandy Loam – 140, Hearne Fine Sandy, Loam – 141, Flo Loamy Fine Sand - 174

The soil type of the land in Robertson County is suitable for the production of hay. Hay is made largely from Coastal and Bermuda grasses. Yields will range from 0.5 ton to 6 tons or more per acre depending on the soil type, the grass used, the amount of fertilizer applied and other management. At the current time, the subject ranch has approximately 84% improved pasture lands consisting mainly of Tifton and other varieties of Coastal. Approximately 1,120 acres of the improved pasture is irrigated. This is considered to be extremely beneficial for the potential of ranching, as well as the production of hay located on the ranch.

Improvement Analysis

Camp Cooley Ranch was purchased on September 27, 1991 from Mr. F.W. Bert Wheeler. Mr. Wheeler has assembled the property between the periods of 1955 through 1962 and had constructed the majority of the improvements currently located on Camp Cooley Ranch. At the time of purchase in 1991, Mr. Klaus Birkel began renovation and upgrading of the improvements located on the ranch. Over 12 million dollars has been spent on renovating the ranch. This includes employee houses, as well as various sheds and storage barns located on the ranch, improving the pasture lands and providing cross fencing. In 1993, over 54,000 lineal feet of barbed wire fencing was constructed on the ranch. During the last five years Mr. Birkel has spent over $350,000 in upgrades to the sales facility, road improvement, land clearing, and grain handling facilities. This has been used to benefit and enhance the operations of Camp Cooley. There are approximately 8,000 acres of improved pastures located on the ranch which are considered to be beneficial to the quality and control of the ranching operation. Each of the pastures has accommodations for water, either provided by the distribution wells, stock tanks, or lakes. This type of improvement has allowed an increase in the production or ranching capabilities of the Camp Cooley Ranch.

Residences/Bunkhouses/Office/Mobile Homes

The main residence is approximately 8590 square feet air conditioned and an additional 2000 square feet of patios and porches. There are six or seven bedrooms (currently one bedroom serves as an office and one serves as a fitness room), seven and one-half baths, formal living and dining rooms with vaulted ceilings, game room, and den. There are three limestone gas fireplaces and a modern kitchen with granite countertops and oak cabinets. The master bedroom is approximately 1000 square feet with an office and large master bath. All bedrooms, with the exception of one (currently used as an office) have direct access to outdoor porches and/or patios. The interior is a mixture of plaster and old forest mahogany brought from Brazil in the 50s. Floors are either wood or tile. There is a separate laundry building which includes a climate controlled wine room, a fireproof safe room, bathroom with shower, and storage. Additionally there is a separate food storage facility with a commercial walk-in refrigerator and freezer + sink and ice maker. There is a four car enclosed garage and a six car carport.

Additional residences include three wood frame, brick, composition roof homes from approximately 1600 SF to 2300 SF that are in excellent condition, five wood frame, brick, composition roof homes in good condition and one in fair condition. There are two large fairly new double wide mobile homes in very good condition and three single wide mobile homes. There is a fully furnished three bedroom bunk house that is in very good condition.

The office building is approximately 7,000 SF with two conference rooms, sixteen individual offices, a safe room, two large storage rooms, a computer server room, a copy room, and a mail room. There is a 10' x 70' truck scale behind the office and numerous parking sheds. The office has an electronic locking system which locks the offices in the evening at any requested time, opens in the morning at any requested time, and records each individual who enters the office outside of the specific times when the office is not open. Not only the office, but the main buildings of the ranch have a high class ASSA secured lock system. These keys cannot be duplicated. There is daily FedX and UPS delivery.

The ranch has high speed internet access through fiber-optic cable which is very rare in rural areas. Between the offices, the sales barn, the shop, and also the ET center there are fiber-optic cables so that it is easy for all the employees to communicate with each other and with customers. For the communication on the ranch, there is a centralized radio system with a radio tower which covers about 15 miles and can handle up to approximately 30 radios. The ranch has a security surveillance system with a two-week recording capacity, high-resolution (even at night) so that it is easy to identify license plates. The system covers the two main entrances, several cross roads, the gas station at the shop, the office, and can be expanded.

Barns, Sheds, and Other Buildings

Item Description

Sales Facility Steel frame, metal roof and sides, slab foundation with phone lines via fiber option cable, air conditioned and heated, meeting room, storage rooms and sales ring. Two multi stall open sided barns are adjacent to the facility. Holding pens for upwards to 1000 cattle are situation with an alley system that allows for the movement of the livestock into the sales barn. All pens have water and some have misters. Commodity Barn Steel frame, metal roof and sides, slab foundation that covers all of the feed commodities in concrete stalls and the capacity covers the needs of the ranch. The exact tonnage capacity is not available. Cattle Flushing Steel frame, metal roof, open sides, slab foundation with drain, technician lab, and an office area. Horse Barn Pole and wood frame, metal roof, partial slab foundation, 26 stalls, 2 tack rooms. Hay Barns There are three hay barns one with the capacity of approximately 80,000 square bales, an older barn with the capacity of approximately 200 round bales and a new barn built in 2010 with an approximate capacity of 65,000 square bales. Shop Large shop with slab foundation, tool & supply rooms, oil change pit, chemical shed, office, and numerous adjacent storage buildings and equipment sheds. There is a bulk fuel station that supplies gasoline and diesel. The fueling station is electronically controlled. It gives fuel only to authorized vehicles and persons via identity cards. This is good security control, but it also gives the option for cost controls per vehicle.

Numerous other barns, equipment sheds and storage sheds are strategically located on the ranch. There is a lumber barn, a commodity barn, cattle sheds, two additional cattle work stations with pens, small lab, and office.