Buy a piece of ranch, become an 'instant cowboy'

A June 5 Colorado auction could make you an overnight cattle rancher. It’s an agricultural opportunity with a whiff of “Portlandia.” Thirteen 100-acre homesteads are up for bid, starting at $450,000 depending on the specific plot of land. Winners become partners in an organic ranch that produces free-range chicken, organic vegetables and grass-fed beef to supply the Boulder Whole Foods Market. They’ll also have access to horse and hiking trails, lakes and streams stocked with fish and a luxurious lodge for parties and events. “It’s a great way to be an instant cowboy. You just have to buy your own cowboy hat,” said broker Billy Long, who thought up the auction idea to move parcels of the 3,000-acre Maytag Mountain Ranch that failed to sell after the real estate market crashed in 2007. Buyers don't have to be involved with ranchwork -- farming, cattle-rustling and so on -- unless they want to be. Nearly all of the parcels up for auction were originally asking between $1 million and $1.5 million. Source