When the right combination of grass, timber, and water comes together, land can produce a tremendous amount of life. When it all comes together in a large package, the individual parts function to make the whole even richer and rare, greater than the sum of the individual parts. Such is the case with this 880 +/- acre ranch located a few miles east of Adrian, Missouri in northeastern Bates County. Whether your primary interest is cattle, horses, hunting, or a combination of these things, this property will not disappoint. For starters, all 880 +/- acres are contiguous, separated only by a graveled county road. Of the total acreage, roughly 200 +/- of it is timber, with many mature oaks, walnut, hackberry, hedge, and elm in the upland, and oaks, cottonwoods, and sycamores in the lower elevations near the creeks. Pastures consist mostly of mixed cool-season grasses, with ladino clover and birdsfoot trefoil added as a legume component for optimal nutrition. The ranch is extensively cross-fenced, with no fewer than 14 individual pastures, ideal for managing forage use and ensuring the growth and recovery of the paddocks. In addition to the pasture acreage, approximately 48 +/- acres of brome hay are managed and maintained, producing an average of 100 round bales of high-quality hay annually.

Sixteen ponds provide stock and wildlife with plenty of water, along with numerous pools found along the courses of the 2 or more miles of creeks that flow through the ranch. Soils are ideal for growing plenty of grass, and 84% of the ranch is composed of Class II or Class III soils, including Eram, Kenoma, Summit, and Verdigris silt loams and silty clay loams, which are all locally well-known for growing grass and grain. About 77 +/- of the ranch’s acres are terraced, demonstrating that this land once grew row crops and could do so again as part of a diverse holding.

Structures on the ranch include two homes that offer options as on-site housing for ranch hands or caretakers, weekend lodging for owners and guests, or even nightly rentals for an additional income stream. Seven barns and sheds provide various options for livestock shelter, hay storage, and protection of tractors and equipment from the weather. Welded pipe working pens are set up to simplify sorting, checking, medicating, and separating cattle and other stock. Rural water is available at the main house, which offers another option for watering livestock. With approximately 2 miles of county road frontage, access to the ranch is easy, and 2 or more miles of private roads run through it as well, offering good access throughout the property.

But this ranch isn’t just about growing livestock. It’s also quite remarkable in its ability to nourish and grow big whitetails and plenty of wild turkeys. The extensive creek bottom habitats, rich soils, and abundant cover make it a producer when it’s time to grab the shotgun, bow, or rifle. Dozens of pocket fields and hidden corners provide a tremendous opportunity to develop a truly world-class hunting operation, presenting an ideal tapestry on which to plant food plots, set up funnels and pinch points, and further develop the potential of this remarkable piece of land. More than 60 +/- acres grow switchgrass, and with just a bit of management could provide outstanding bedding and nesting cover for the local wildlife. Because of the size of this property, a savvy manager could realistically expect to manage their herds and flocks to remain mostly, if not entirely, within the ranch's boundaries. This ability to manage and regulate hunting pressure could very possibly produce the kind of record book bucks that avid whitetail hunters dream of.

Ranches of this size and character and potential are rarely available in this area. If you’d like to schedule an appointment to see this remarkable property and make it your own, call Land Agent Scott Sudkamp at (417) 321-5427 today.

Property Features

-880 +/- acres, all contiguous

-600 +/- acres of pasture

-200 +/- acres of timber

-48 +/- acres of brome hay fields

-60 +/- acres of switchgrass

-16 ponds

-2 + miles of creeks

-2 + miles of County Road frontage

-2 homes

-7 outbuildings

-Many miles of perimeter and interior fencing

-Welded pipe working pens

-Rural water availability

-Electric service at multiple locations

-Dozens of food plot locations and secluded field corners

-Plenty of whitetails and turkeys

-About 40 miles from south Kansas City

-Adrian school district