Rocky Creek Farms

Overview

One of Houston County, Alabama’s most storied properties, the 2,057+/-acre Rocky Creek Farms (estate of William A. “Bill” Womack) is now available for the first time in over 100 years. Its long, multi-generational history has seen a transition from a successful Black Angus cattle ranch to a productive row crop operation. Throughout its agricultural existence, Rocky Creek Farms has made an important contribution to Houston County’s designation of having the second highest percentage of farmland in the state.

Consisting of three blocks of land south and southeast of Dothan, the preference of the owners is to sell in large acreage increments. The Home Place and Buntin Place are only a mile apart while Cottonwood Place lies 11 miles to the southwest.

The Home Place

Located in the Ashford Community, the 1,578+/- acre Home Place is a 15-mile drive via South Rocky Creek Road and U.S. Highway 84 to reach Dothan’s perimeter highway, Ross Clark Circle. Large agricultural tracts in Houston County come on the market very infrequently, making this a highly sought-after asset.

The upland areas of the Home Place have level topography with only slight relief - they are currently leased out for non-irrigated row crop production (cotton, peanuts, and melons). Although there are 802 acres of FSA-designated cropland (206 base acres), the total upland area is approximately 1,028 acres (65% of the tract) based on an analysis of soil types. There are a variety of soils in the upland areas featuring a mix of loamy sands and sandy loams - 54% of these soils are categorized by the USDA as Prime Farmland. Several small ponds are on the property and Rocky Creek runs in and out along the eastern boundary of the Home Place for nearly 1 ½ miles.

There are 35 acres of 2014 pines and 83 acres of 2022 pines on the property. Importantly, 419 acres of clear-cut plantable land that previously consisted primarily of hardwoods could largely be converted to pines with appropriate site preparation. Another 424 acres of clear-cut non-plantable land and creek bottomland are naturally regenerating.

The improvements on the Home Place include an office, barn, silo, and several buildings in disrepair. In former times, the feedlot was a showcase for its state-of-the art design. The concrete foundation of that operation remains, waiting to be re-purposed.

The property has excellent access, being bounded or crisscrossed by Bobby Hall Road, County Road 8, Leo Pynes Road, and South Rocky Creek Road. In all, there are nine miles of paved road frontage.

Buntin Place

Located less than a mile north of the Home Place, the 143+/- acre Buntin Place features a level topography and is also leased out for non-irrigated row crop production. A high 83% of the property (118 acres) is in uplands as determined through an analysis of soil types. Ninety-one of those acres are in cropland including 17 base acres. Upland soils consist of a mix of loamy sands and sandy loams of which 47% are categorized by the USDA as Prime Farmland. There is 2/3 of a mile of frontage on Little Rocky Creek along Buntin Place’s southern boundary.

There are 22 acres of pines that were replanted in 2023 and 38 acres of natural hardwood.

Buntin Place enjoys good access with one mile of paved road frontage along Creek Church and Whitaker Road and 2/3 mile of graded road frontage on Adams Road.

Cottonwood Place

Located southwest of Cottonwood just north of the Florida state line and 2 ½ miles east of U.S. Highway 231, the 336-acre Cottonwood Place has a generally level topography with a slight roll. It is leased out for non-irrigated row crop production and a desirable 77% of the property (259 acres) is in uplands as determined through an analysis of soil types. Within those uplands, 143 acres are in cropland (62 base acres). As with the Home Place and Buntin Place, upland soils consist of a mix of loamy sands and sandy loams of which 43% are categorized by the USDA as Prime Farmland. There is nearly ½ mile of frontage on Spring Creek along Cottonwood Place’s southern boundary.

There are a variety of timber types on the Cottonwood Place as shown below:

• 11 acres of pine estimated to be planted in 1999
• 37 acres of loblolly pine planted in 2010, thinned and herbicided
• 19 acres of slash pine planted in 2020
• 44 acres of pines replanted in 2023
• 60 acres of mixed hardwoods
• 43 acres of swamp hardwoods

Located 11 miles from the western boundary of the Home Place, Cottonwood Place is bisected by paved State Line Road.

Existing Lease

A local farmer has each of the properties under a non-cancellable farming/hunting lease thru December 31, 2024. The payment under that lease, which would transfer to a new owner, is $85,000 per year plus 66.66% of any PLC subsidy payment received by the farmer for the preceding year.

Agriculture Summary

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