For landowners · Teague and Freestone County, Texas
Lease Your Land for Cattle Grazing or Hay
Sharpe Diamond Cattle Co. leases pasture and hay meadows within about 30 miles of Teague, including Fairfield, the rest of Freestone County, and neighboring counties. We put your land to work, care for it as if it were our own, and help you keep it in agricultural use for your property taxes.
Agricultural tax exemption
Keep your ag exemption, or work toward one
In Texas, land in agricultural use can be appraised on what it produces instead of its market value. This is commonly called the “ag exemption” (officially, 1-d-1 open-space agricultural valuation), and it can lower your property taxes a great deal.
To keep it, your land has to stay in real agricultural production. To qualify, it generally must have been in agricultural use for five of the last seven years. A grazing or hay lease with a working cattle operation counts as that use, even if you never run a cow yourself.
- Already have the exemption? A lease keeps your land in production so you don’t lose it.
- Don’t have it yet? A lease starts building the agricultural history you need to qualify.
- Out-of-town owner? Weekend place or investment property, we do the work while you are away and keep you posted.
Every property is different. Ask the Freestone Central Appraisal District, or your tax professional, how the rules apply to your land.
How we care for your land
Good stewards, for the long term
“We will look you in the eye and shoot straight with you. If there is ever a problem on your place, tell us and we will fix it. If we get something wrong, we will admit it, correct it, and move forward.”Robert P. Sharpe, Sharpe Diamond Cattle Co.
We lease two kinds of land: pasture for grazing, and hay meadows we cut and bale for our own herd. Land is tight in this part of Texas, so we work hard to be the tenant you want to keep.
- Every lease: we care for the cattle, check the water, and maintain the fence lines. If a tree or limb falls on a fence during our term, we repair the damage.
- Leases of two years or more: we take soil samples to Texas A&M AgriLife standards and fertilize on their recommended schedule. The fertilizer is custom-blended to the Texas A&M recommendation at American Fertilizer in Wortham, through R&M Feed. Your pasture and hay meadows also go into our annual weed-control program.
- Licensed applicators only. All weed control is applied by licensed applicators.
- Branded, recorded cattle. Every animal carries the Sharpe Diamond brand, registered in Freestone County, and a permanent number.
- We don’t hunt your land. If you would like, we will remove predators such as coyotes and destructive feral hogs. We leave deer and other wildlife alone.
- Dead animals hauled off. If we lose an animal, we trailer it back to our own ranch for disposal. Nothing is buried or left on your land.
- Everything in writing. Every lease is a written agreement both of us sign, so we both know exactly what was agreed. It is also your record that the land is under an agricultural lease, and we keep the records to back it up if the appraisal district ever reviews your exemption. It can be amended any time we both agree, in writing. Your concerns, such as ponds, wells, gardens, gates, or wildlife areas, go into it.
What we look for
- Pasture or hay meadow within about 30 miles of Teague. We will consider exceptional properties farther out.
- It does not have to be rolling green meadow. Brushy pasture with mesquite can work too; where a truck can’t go, we check and gather cattle on horseback.
- Sound perimeter fencing that will hold cattle
- A pond, creek, or well for water
- A fair lease with clear terms in writing
Short term or long term
Planning to sell or build in a few years? We still want to talk. A one-year lease that renews each year works for many owners, and longer leases let us invest more in your soil.
Carrying capacity
How many cows could your land carry?
Enter roughly how many acres of each kind of land you have. Most places are a mix, so a partly wooded property is some acres of pasture and some of woods. The estimate uses Texas Parks and Wildlife guidance for the Post Oak Savannah around Teague.
For reference, the 2025 USDA survey average for pasture rent: Freestone County $10.50 an acre, Limestone $11.00, Navarro $14.00, Leon $6.80, Anderson $16.50.
Not sure? Your appraisal district record or a quick look on Google Maps’ satellite view is a good start.
- Total acres
- Annual rent at your price
- At the Freestone County average
- Improved pasture, 3 to 6 acres per cow
- Native grass, 8 to 15 acres per cow
- Wooded or brushy, 50 to 75 acres per cow
A first estimate only. Soil, rainfall, water, fencing, and fertilizer change it, and hay or cubes fed can carry more cows on brushy land. We set the real number after walking your property, and NRCS can figure it at no charge.
Sources: Texas Parks and Wildlife, Post Oak Savannah livestock management · USDA NASS 2025 Texas cash rents. Lease rent is usually paid once, at the start of each lease year.
Common questions
Does leasing my land for cattle grazing help with the ag exemption?
Yes. In Texas, land leased to a working cattle or hay operation is in agricultural use, which is what the open-space valuation requires. The appraisal district decides whether your property qualifies, so check with them about your land.
I live out of town. Who looks after the property?
We do. We are on the place regularly to check cattle, water, and fences, and we keep you informed. You are welcome to visit any time.
My land is brushy. Will you still lease it?
Very possibly. Not every good pasture is open meadow. Brushy land with mesquite can still carry cattle, and we work it on horseback where equipment can’t get through.
How many cows can my land carry?
The land decides. We set the number after walking your property, and keep it there so your grass is never overgrazed. For a first estimate, try the carrying capacity calculator above.
Do you cut hay?
Yes. We lease hay meadows and bale them for our own herd, and we fertilize to keep them productive.
How far from Teague do you lease?
Within about 30 miles of Teague, across Freestone County and the neighboring counties, and we will look at exceptional properties farther out.
What if I sell the land?
We put it in the lease up front: how much notice you give us, and time to move our cattle and hay.