Stonewall County, TX — Ag Exemption Requirements (2026)
Stonewall County is in the Rolling Plains north of Abilene, centered on Aspermont and its cattle country, dryland fields, and broad native rangeland. Stonewall CAD's standards are especially useful because they distinguish improved, good native, average native, and poor native pasture, and pair those rates with a local animal-unit equivalency chart and apiary formula.
Grazing Intensity Standards
| Pasture Type | Acres per Animal Unit | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| improved pasture | 9 acres / AU | ✓ Verified |
| good native pasture | 12.8 acres / AU | ✓ Verified |
| average native pasture | 24 acres / AU | ✓ Verified |
| poor native pasture | 30 acres / AU | ⚠ unknown |
Beekeeping Intensity Standards
| Acreage Range | Base Hives | Extra Hives/Acre (above base) | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5–20 acres | 6 | 0.4 | ✓ 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 cow without calf | 1 | County-published |
| cow with calf | 1.2 | County-published |
| weaned calf to yearling | 0.6 | County-published |
| steer or heifer one to two years | 1 | County-published |
| mature bull | 1.25 | County-published |
| five ewes with or without lambs | 1 | County-published |
| four rams or buck sheep | 1 | County-published |
| eight lambs weaned to one year | 1 | County-published |
| five barbado sheep | 1 | County-published |
| six does with or without kids | 1 | County-published |
| ten weaned kids to yearlings | 1 | County-published |
| five bucks | 1 | County-published |
| six mature mutton goats | 1 | County-published |
| mature horse | 1 | County-published |
| mature mule | 1 | County-published |
| miniature horse | 0.5 | County-published |
| burro | 0.75 | County-published |
| six whitetail deer | 1 | County-published |
| six mule deer | 1 | County-published |
| five axis deer | 1 | County-published |
| five fallow deer | 1 | County-published |
| six sika deer | 1 | County-published |
| two point five red deer | 1 | County-published |
| elk | 1 | County-published |
| seven pronghorn antelope | 1 | County-published |
| nine blackbuck antelope | 1 | County-published |
| eland | 1 | County-published |
| three addax antelope | 1 | County-published |
| two scimitar horned oryx antelope | 1 | County-published |
Wildlife Management Option
Stonewall 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. An annual wildlife management plan report is required.
To convert from agricultural use to wildlife management, the land must be at least 25 acres and have the five-out-of-seven-year agricultural-use history. A wildlife management plan based on the Rolling Plains economic region is required; Stonewall CAD also requires an annual update and an annual census count.
Required Documents
- Form 50-129, Application for 1-d-1 (Open-Space) Agricultural Use Appraisal
- Copies of current leases (notarized, dated and signed by both parties, including a legal description of the properties under lease)
- Auction yard receipts or purchase receipts for animals, or cancelled checks for seeds and/or fertilizer.
- If claiming hay production, state the kind of grass, number of cuttings per year, and total yearly production in number of bales.
- Rotation schedules for grazing and crops
- Expense receipts
- Sworn affidavits from individuals having personal knowledge of the previous use and history of the subject property.
- Census counts including with annual update on wildlife management
Discretionary Caveats
"Properties less than 10 acres will generally not qualify for the special-use valuation."
"Consideration will be given to tracts less than 10 acres that are operational with contiguous parcels if all of the following are met: All other Stonewall CAD degree of intensity requirements must be met."
"The Stonewall County Appraisal District understands that other exceptions may arise and will evaluate those exceptions on an individual basis."
"Poor native pasture is published as a 30-40-acre range per animal unit; the numeric schema records the stated 30-acre lower bound and preserves the full range in the source text."
Frequently Asked Questions — Stonewall County
- Stonewall CAD's good-native-pasture rate is 1 animal unit per 12.8 acres. 128 acres ÷ 12.8 acres per animal unit = 10 animal units.
- The district starts with 6 hives on the first 5 acres and adds 1 hive per additional 2.5 acres. The next 10 acres require 10 ÷ 2.5 = 4 more hives, for 6 + 4 = 10 hives.
- No. Stonewall CAD states that land converting from agricultural use to wildlife management must be at least 25 acres, so a 20-acre tract is 5 acres short; it must also have the five-out-of-seven-year agricultural-use history.
- No. Stonewall CAD typically requires 20 acres for cropland, so a 15-acre field is 5 acres below that typical threshold.
Stonewall County Appraisal District
- Phone
- 940-989-3363
- Address
- P.O. Box 308, Aspermont, TX 79502-0308
- Website
- https://www.stonewallcad.org
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