For those of you that qualify for this particular exemption or have experience in this, what are the qualifications for receiving one?

I am looking to buy a property to live on with approximately 5-15 acres of land within the next 2 months. I am looking to invest in animals for future potential supplemental income, and in reading the stipulations and legal-ese, I've about gone blind. I am interested in maintaining pigs, goats, chickens, a mini-donkey (for the kids), and adding alpacas at a later date.

What is the number/type of animals I would need to attain this exemption for 5, 10, or 15 acres?

I will cross-post on the Real Estate board.

Any and all serious answers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and gig 'em!

gotta talk with the Bell County tax appraiser. They'll tell what the Bell County requirements are for ag ex.

But in general, if the land doesn't have Ag Ex. then you must meet their criteria for 5 years before you can have the land classified as ag. If the property already has an ag exemption, they you must carry on what the tax office requires.

Also research the cost of running an ag operation, I think most people would be better off to just pay the taxes instead of sinking money into an expensive ag operation.

Depends on your county how many acres you need for an ag exemption, what types of animals qualify and how many you need. Also depends on if it's native grassland or improved. You'll have to contact your county appraisal district to find out as I can't find it on their web page. For reference here are some other county requirements:
Waller County Agricultural Intensity Standards
Brown County Agricultural Intensity Standards

I've got lots of family in Bell county and supposedly they are pretty strict with everything. 5 acres may not be enough for an exemption. Good Luck

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I am interested in maintaining pigs, goats, chickens, a mini-donkey (for the kids), and adding alpacas at a later date.

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Not sure if serious. That is lots of animals/types for 5-15 acres.

KW02 said:

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I am interested in maintaining pigs, goats, chickens, a mini-donkey (for the kids), and adding alpacas at a later date.

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Not sure if serious. That is lots of animals/types for 5-15 acres.

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The alpacas may be taking it a little far, but 2 pigs and 2 goats for 4H/FFA will only take up a couple of acres. A mini donkey is worthless unless you just really need something fot the ag exemption.

Look at a wildlife exemption. Not that hard and much cheaper.

SD_71 said:

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Look at a wildlife exemption. Not that hard and much cheaper.

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Winner. You can't put many animals on 5 acres......unless you open a feedlot, which many small grazing places essentially are.

your property must first attain a 1-D-1 open space or "ag exemption" before you can consider a wildlife exemption

Animals and income are two words that don't usually go together.

ought1ag said:

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I've got lots of family in Bell county and supposedly they are pretty strict with everything. 5 acres may not be enough for an exemption. Good Luck

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We may be looking at up to 20-30 acres. Just including 5 acre sites to see how much land we really want to tackle.

Thanks!

KW02 said:

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I am interested in maintaining pigs, goats, chickens, a mini-donkey (for the kids), and adding alpacas at a later date.

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Not sure if serious. That is lots of animals/types for 5-15 acres.

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We may be looking at tracts up to 30 acres. It may be 1-2 of some of those, and a bunch of the other. Or, it may end up being a bunch of one of those and none of the others. That part isn't exactly in stone, and a lot of the quantity will depend on the taxes we can get away with for the property and what works best for us.

Thanks!

rather be fishing said:

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KW02 said:

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I am interested in maintaining pigs, goats, chickens, a mini-donkey (for the kids), and adding alpacas at a later date.

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Not sure if serious. That is lots of animals/types for 5-15 acres.

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The alpacas may be taking it a little far, but 2 pigs and 2 goats for 4H/FFA will only take up a couple of acres. A mini donkey is worthless unless you just really need something fot the ag exemption.

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I think eventually, the alpacas may be the only animals we stick with. Just want to try our hand and see what smaller animals we can handle before we move up to animals that size.

The donkey would be more so for the kids to enjoy. It would serve no real ag purpose.

Thanks!

what exactly do kids do with donkeys?

phorizt said:

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what exactly do kids do with donkeys?

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I've heard you can show them.

BQ_90 said:

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phorizt said:

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what exactly do kids do with donkeys?

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I've heard you can show them.

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Bees also qualify for ag exemption.

Here is what you do in a few steps

1) http://www.bellcad.org/index.php/Tax_Information

Here is the website for bell CAD. Call them Monday around 8:15 and ask for the person who oversees the Ag exemptions as you have a few questions

2) get the Ag guidelines for bell county. I would hazard to guess that your intended animals wouldn't meet the critieria. For property Tax purposes the 1-d-1 special Ag use valuation isn't just having a few animals for recreation or pets it's about maintaining a sustainable AG operation

3) if your property currently doesn't have AG, then you must be doing your Ag production for 5 of the next 7 years until the AG exemption is granted and your taxable value is your production value and not your market value for the part of your property that qualifies.

KW02 said:

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I am interested in maintaining pigs, goats, chickens, a mini-donkey (for the kids), and adding alpacas at a later date.

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Not sure if serious. That is lots of animals/types for 5-15 acres.


Easily doable. With plenty of room to spare. I have some folks a mile away doing exactly this on Less than 7 acres. If he's only having a couple it'll be no issue.

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As an actual farmer/rancher, I can't wait for Texas to change the ag exemption status to a production based system, annoys me that some buy a few goats and get away with gaming the system.

Whenever man creates a system

Lazy men will subvert it to their gain


But the land is valued of its production, so I don't know what you mean?

txaggiefarmer05 said:

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As an actual farmer/rancher, I can't wait for Texas to change the ag exemption status to a production based system, annoys me that some buy a few goats and get away with gaming the system.

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Weeeee.....here we go. I'm sure a small percent game the system but I don't know why. Wildlife is easy ish to get and its far more beneficial for most. I think we need easier wildlife exemptions. WITH wildlife exemptions, now you don't have to use a ridiculous tax code and overcrowd your place to get the tax break. You don't have to turn it into a highly eroded, fireant ridden landscape to get your precious tax break in the name of 'ag production'. I too wish the system would be changed though....I think the wildlife exemption should be allowed immediately to anyone on any sized acreage who wishes to do it. Its arguably far more scrutinized than the 'ag' exemption. Ive even heard ranchers *****ing and moaning about that...lol. Never happy.

Ecolab.....granted you typically have to fund the research.

Also, counties don't like it (or haven't figured it out yet), you can technically manage for pollinators under the wildlife management option......if I work with a landowner, they are going to have to work and likely spend about what they do on cattle.

But an apiary (bee keeping) has a maximum of 20 acres.