[dropcap]H[/dropcap]ays County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, but all of the residential and retail growth has left ranchers and farmers questioning whether there will be room for them in the future.
Traditionally, most of the land on the east side of Interstate 35 has been used for agricultural farming. Land toward the west side of I-35 has been used for growing hay and raising cattle. Many ranchers and farmers see land lease prices rising because they’re in competition with residential and commercial development on both sides of the highway.
Hays County Pct. 2 Commissioner Mark Jones leases 10 properties to run cattle and says that all but two may end up developed as commercial or residential.
“Less of the land is available for leasing and raising cattle and a lot less of it is being used for farming. It’s getting harder and harder to stay in that type of business,” Jones said.
Calvin Kirkham has been running cattle for 35 years in Hays County.
“From my perspective, I lease a lot of land and a lot of that is being developed down. Farms and ranches are being converted into residential property or real estate, which impacts the amount of land you have to do what you do, farming or ranching,” Kirkham said.
Because of the growth, Kirkham says he also feels additional pressure from increased traffic.
“Another big impact that I feel is the traffic. Anybody that has cows knows that cows get out sometimes, for whatever reason. Because there’s a whole lot more eyes and a whole lot more cars, you get a whole lot more calls,” Kirkham said.
He says that a lot of times a baby calf will get out and people will call Animal Control, who in turn call Kirkham. By the time he gets out to where the animal is loose, the animal has usually wandered back to its mother. He finds that people are usually in a hurry to get somewhere and are impatient to get animals off the road.
“Less of the land is available for leasing and raising cattle and a lot less of it is being used for farming. It’s getting harder and harder to stay in that type of business.”Mark Jones, local cattleman and Hays County Commissioner
“The county is growing so much there won’t be any farming or ranching left in the future, or very little of it ... except for places that are maybe set aside for it,” Kirkham said.
Jason Mangold, Hays County Agrilife extension agent, said that, because of the rise in property values, some land owners are opting to sell their land rather than keep it for farming or cattle ranching leases.
“Going into the future I see a whole lot more of the acreage of 10 to 20 acres, especially if you get up to Wimberley, Dripping Springs, Driftwood area. I don’t see a whole lot of people wanting to lease out their property for cattle or anything like that,” Mangold said.
