Calhoun County, TX — Ag Exemption Requirements (2026)
Calhoun County sits on the mid-Texas Gulf Coast around Port Lavaca, where cow-calf grazing, coastal hay, grain and cotton farming, and apiaries are recognized agricultural operations. Calhoun CAD's standards are especially useful for landowners because they pair a three-animal-unit small-tract herd test with pasture-condition stocking ranges and a detailed wildlife-management acreage policy.
Grazing Intensity Standards
| Pasture Type | Acres per Animal Unit | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Open Pasture (no to minimal Brush) | 10 acres / AU | ⚠ discretionary |
| Native Pasture (<50% brush canopy) | 10 acres / AU | ⚠ discretionary |
| Brush (>50% brush canopy) | 17 acres / AU | ⚠ discretionary |
| Improved Pasture (some type of improved pasture planted, brush managed) | 5 acres / AU | ⚠ discretionary |
Beekeeping Intensity Standards
| Acreage Range | Base Hives | Extra Hives/Acre (above base) | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5–20 acres | 3 | 0.5 | ✓ Verified |
Animal Unit Equivalencies
An animal unit (AU) is a standardized measure used to compare livestock of different sizes. One AU = one 1,000-lb cow. Your total stocking rate is calculated in AUs, then multiplied by the acres-per-AU standard for your pasture type. These values are published by the county.
| Animal | Animal Units | Source |
|---|---|---|
| mature dry cow or cow calf | 1 | County-published |
| mature bull | 1.25 | County-published |
| weaned calf to one year | 0.6 | County-published |
| steer one year old | 0.7 | County-published |
| steer two year old | 0.9 | County-published |
| horse | 1.25 | County-published |
| miniature horse | 0.5 | County-published |
| donkey or mule | 1.25 | County-published |
| burro | 0.75 | County-published |
| ewe | 0.2 | County-published |
| ram or buck sheep | 0.25 | County-published |
| lamb weaned to one year | 0.125 | County-published |
| nanny goat or doe with kids | 0.1666666667 | County-published |
| billy or buck goat | 0.2 | County-published |
| kid goat weaned to one year | 0.1 | County-published |
| mature mutton goat | 0.1666666667 | County-published |
| axis aoudad fallow or mouflon | 0.2 | County-published |
| blackbuck antelope | 0.1111111111 | County-published |
| sika deer | 0.1428571429 | County-published |
| red deer | 0.4 | County-published |
| eland | 1 | County-published |
| emu | 0.3333333333 | County-published |
| ostrich | 0.5 | County-published |
| whitetail deer | 0.1428571429 | County-published |
| chicken under 5 lbs | 0.0333333333 | County-published |
Wildlife Management Option
Calhoun County allows wildlife management as a qualifying use. Landowners must implement at least 3 of the seven recognized wildlife management practices defined by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
The Comptroller's publication, Guidelines for Qualification of Agricultural Land in Wildlife Management Use, is to be followed for qualification of wildlife management land in the Calhoun County Appraisal District. A single tract has a 94% minimum wildlife-use percentage (16.67 acres minimum); qualifying association and designated-species tracts have a 91% minimum (11.11 acres minimum). All Wildlife Management Use Plans must certify that the plan will support a sustained breeding, migrating, or wintering population of the targeted species.
Required Documents
- Form 50-129, Application for 1-d-1 (Open-Space) Agricultural Use Appraisal
- Wildlife Management Plan, if applying for wildlife management
- Registration with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, for beekeeping operations
Discretionary Caveats
"Unique or “fad” agricultural operations will be considered on a case-by-case basis."
"If the application is made on a property that does not meet the recommended minimum acreage, the application may be approved if sufficient management inputs are implemented on the tract, and maintained over time to overcome any deficiencies of natural resources caused by the lack of sufficient acreage in the subject tract."
"Although no set minimum acreage is suggested, each Exotic Animal Operations must be judged on a case by case basis to determine its feasibility as an enterprise."
"Stocking rates can vary widely from year, depending on rainfall, economic factors, and management style. The chart above is only a guideline based on USDA recommendations of normal conditions. The chief appraiser will determine each application’s qualification on a case-by-case basis."
"Grazing standards are published as ranges; the numeric acres-per-animal-unit fields record each range’s lower bound: Open Pasture 10-13, Native Pasture 10-18, Brush 17-23, and Improved Pasture 5-8 acres per animal unit."
"Grazing operations require at least three animal units on small acreage tracts until acreage surpasses the acres required to support 3 animal units, then the typical stocking-rate chart applies."
Frequently Asked Questions — Calhoun County
- Calhoun CAD says grazing operations must maintain a minimum herd size of 3 animal units on small acreage tracts until the tract has enough acreage to support 3 animal units under the stocking-rate chart. A 10-acre tract therefore needs at least 3 animal units, subject to the district's review of management inputs and pasture condition.
- The published improved-pasture range is 5-8 acres per animal unit. At the 5-acre lower bound recorded in the data, 20 acres ÷ 5 acres per animal unit = 4 animal units; the applicable rate can fall anywhere in the published range and is reviewed case by case.
- Calhoun CAD starts with 3 complete colonies and adds 1 colony for each additional 2 acres. At 13 acres, 3 + ((13 - 5) ÷ 2) = 7 complete colonies; the document caps the requirement at 10 colonies on 20 acres.
- For a single tract, Calhoun CAD sets a 94% wildlife-use minimum of 16.67 acres. Properties in a wildlife-management association or designated-species habitat have a 91% minimum of 11.11 acres, subject to the wildlife management plan requirements.
Calhoun County Appraisal District
- Phone
- 361-552-8808
- paul@calhouncad.org
- Address
- P.O. Box 49, Port Lavaca, TX 77979-0049
- Website
- https://calhouncad.org
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