New Bee Property

[brooksbeefarm]

Well my son and i sold our cabin and 40 acres and split 50/50. I had 3 months to reinvest any profit or pay a heavy tax. I found 18.2 acres between Collins, Mo. and Osceola, Mo., mostly woods with around 4 acres of open field for my bees, the land around it is wooded and pasture land with alot of wild growth (weeds & brush) and a few Soy Bean fields close by. Should be a good honey producing out yard, at the north end of the open field the previous owner built a deer stand with 4 telephone poles about 30 ft or 40 ft. high with a lookout tower about 8ft. x 8 ft. square at he top, it has ladders built from CCA lumber and two landings before you reach the top. It looks like a forestry tower. It has a drilled 180 ft. well and two dug wells ( i haven't found the dug wells yet), the neighbors have ponds for there cattle across the fence, so they have a water source. The town of Osceola has alot of history around the civil war, the Kansas Red Legs attacked burned the town and killed all the males 14 yrs. old and up, which caused  the Quantrill's Raiders with Jesse and Frank James and Younger brothers, to attack Lawrence, Kansas for retaliation and done the same. This inspired the the movie, The Outlaw Josey Wells, with Clint Eastwood. I don't think i got hurt  for $29,000.00. Jack

[Bakersdozen]

Sounds wonderful!  I'm thrilled for you.
I like the history part, being close to Lawrence, KS. Don't forget the movie, Ride with the Devil.  That focused on the Quantrell side of the story.  My nephew had a small part in that movie.  One line got his name in the credits.

[Slowmodem]

Sounds like you got quite a deal!   

Endeavor To Persevere!

[brooksbeefarm]

I loved that movie also (Ride with the Devil), Several of my relatives were involved in the Osceola conflict and the battle of Wilsons Creek, in Greene, co. Mo. I hated history in school, but find it very interesting now? Stories i've heard and have been handed down through the years by friends and relatives that happened and never been told, but not forgot, still have hard feelings between some families still yet in the area. Sad, but from some of the stories i can see why. Jack

[Walt B]

Nice buy Jack. Good for you.

Walt

[G3farms]

Sounds like you got a good deal! 

Be careful about finding those dug wells, might have to get Lassie and Timmy to come find you.

[Finally Home]

Don't think you did bad at all.   Congrats and good luck

[keeperofthebees]

Well my son and i sold our cabin and 40 acres and split 50/50. I had 3 months to reinvest any profit or pay a heavy tax. I found 18.2 acres between Collins, Mo. and Osceola, Mo., mostly woods with around 4 acres of open field for my bees, the land around it is wooded and pasture land with alot of wild growth (weeds & brush) and a few Soy Bean fields close by. Should be a good honey producing out yard, at the north end of the open field the previous owner built a deer stand with 4 telephone poles about 30 ft or 40 ft. high with a lookout tower about 8ft. x 8 ft. square at he top, it has ladders built from CCA lumber and two landings before you reach the top. It looks like a forestry tower. It has a drilled 180 ft. well and two dug wells ( i haven't found the dug wells yet), the neighbors have ponds for there cattle across the fence, so they have a water source. The town of Osceola has alot of history around the civil war, the Kansas Red Legs attacked burned the town and killed all the males 14 yrs. old and up, which caused  the Quantrill's Raiders with Jesse and Frank James and Younger brothers, to attack Lawrence, Kansas for retaliation and done the same. This inspired the the movie, The Outlaw Josey Wells, with Clint Eastwood. I don't think i got hurt  for $29,000.00. Jack

Wait awhile until the septic tanks are cleared-ok'd before you find-open the wells.  They'll come after you to fill them in if they can find them, like they do with the old septic tanks.  There was an old schweitzer in my area, that dug-rock stacked his own septic tank like they used to build wells.  It's been working properly since before the great war #2.  The dnr made the current owners shut it down & put in a new one.  They get after people about reservoirs up here too. 

[lazy shooter]

Good job Jack.  It sounds like a beautiful piece of property, and the price seems way too low.  You did well.  Like the above posters, you need to find those old wells for safety sake.  One of my son's pals fell into an old well in Western Kansas.  It had been covered with some barn iron with a few inches of dirt over it.  Fortunately, the drag of the barn iron on the sidewalls of the well caused it to be a slow fall to about 20 feet below the surface.  They had to go to town for a rope to pull him out.  That wouldn't happen where I live, as I keep lariat rope on all vehicles.  Anyway, it sounds wonderful.

[keeperofthebees]

Keep the old reservoir if you find one!!!  Tuck point some of the old brick, and build a nice door/stairs into it with treated deck lumber.  If you get yourself a nasty tornado, you have a place to go down into and not worry about it.  Even if it's a 10ft diameter section of concrete tubing tucked into the ground!!!

[brooksbeefarm]

With the snow on and sub zero weather i've not been back up there, i want to know where i step when looking for them. I'll probably get the neighbor to show me where they are, he's the one who told me about them. I never met or talked to the previous owner (lives in Kansas City, Mo.) handled through real estate office. If the dug wells are like the one on my brothers property up there, i won't be going down in them, i shined a flashlight down his rock lined well ( in the late fall) and counted six snakes laying protruding rocks about 8 ft. down . I would like to know how they got in and out of it?? The getting in part wouldn't be a problem, the getting out is the mystery, the walls are rock lined and straight up and down? You can still buy land in some Mo. counties for $15,00.00 to $2,000.00 an acre, but it's not going to stay that way long. Another neighbor down the road from the new property has several Buffalo running in with his cattle, gonna have to meet that farmer? Jack

[lazy shooter]

A few years back I toyed with the idea of getting some buffalo to roam around in my pastures, but my lawyer thought the liability was too great.  Also, if they get excited a fence won't hold them.  Texas is now the fastest growing state in the US, and our real estate reflects that.  Dang, we have too many people and they just keep coming. 

It sure sounds like you will have good forage for your bees.  What is the annual rainfall in that area?

[brooksbeefarm]

Lazy, i think the average rain fall is around 45 in. a year. My little corner of the world is growing also, Fair Grove, Mo. has a population of over 1,300.00 now. Jack

[keeperofthebees]

With the snow on and sub zero weather i've not been back up there, i want to know where i step when looking for them. I'll probably get the neighbor to show me where they are, he's the one who told me about them. I never met or talked to the previous owner (lives in Kansas City, Mo.) handled through real estate office. If the dug wells are like the one on my brothers property up there, i won't be going down in them, i shined a flashlight down his rock lined well ( in the late fall) and counted six snakes laying protruding rocks about 8 ft. down . I would like to know how they got in and out of it?? The getting in part wouldn't be a problem, the getting out is the mystery, the walls are rock lined and straight up and down? You can still buy land in some Mo. counties for $15,00.00 to $2,000.00 an acre, but it's not going to stay that way long. Another neighbor down the road from the new property has several Buffalo running in with his cattle, gonna have to meet that farmer? Jack

They fall in like a mouse does is a bucket, or kids do in wells, or anything else.  Sometimes critters dig out/tunnel down around the wells, and the snakes sneak in and try to work their way down along the rocks/can't get back up.  Snake food squeaks it's way in, and the pack follows lol

[LazyBkpr]

Good friend of mine raised two buffs and one beefalo..  the beefalo wasnt bad but them Buffalo were hard headed stubbern and easily roused buggers!!    But did they taste good though!!   

[blueblood]

Sounds great! Pics in the future?

[brooksbeefarm]

Took the 4 wheeler to the new property today and took a trail to back end of the property, there is a vine that looks like honeysuckle that has taken over about 5 acres of the back end? there could be 50 deer in there and you would never see them, it's that thick.The neighbor to the north said he had put logs down in the dug wells to keep someone from walking into them, i found one, and think i found the other one, but not sure? The neighbor and his wife said they have seen 2 black Panthers cross there property into my property on several occasions and had reported it the the Mo. Conservation Dept., but they denied there was black panthers in Mo.? Several people claim they have seen Black panthers in different parts of Mo., my daughter and son in law said they seen one on there 40 acres by Stockton Lake. Just to be safe i take my Judge with me loaded with a 410 #4 shot, next 45 hollow point, next 410 #4 shot, next 45 hollow point, and so on, the 410 shot may just make them mad, but the 45 hollow point should do the job if it comes to that? With all the blooming trees and plants on this property and neighboring land, i think this will make a good bee yard. Jack

[LazyBkpr]

Sounds really good Jack. If that load out in the judge doesn't work, aint nobody going to say you didnt go down swinging, and theres going to be a dead critter not far away.

[Slowmodem]

Took the 4 wheeler to the new property today and took a trail to back end of the property, there is a vine that looks like honeysuckle that has taken over about 5 acres of the back end?

I hope it's not kudzu.  You'll never get rid of it.

[brooksbeefarm]

I don't know what Kudzu looks like? there is a foundation of an old home place on this property and just about all the old timers had Honeysuckle vines around there home, that's what the leaves look like? I have heard that Kudzu is making it's way here, but haven't heard anyone say they have or seen it. There is also a ivy plant that climbs up trees and brick walls, but the leaves didn't look like it. What ever it is, it's tough to still have green leaves after the sub zero weather we've had. Jack