Dax Hayden Recognized as the 2023 RLI APEX National Broker of the Year in Ag Land Ranch Sales

Multiple Hayden Outdoors Real Estate Brokers Win National and Regional Awards

Dax Hayden, with Hayden Outdoors Real Estate in Windsor, CO, has been recognized as the APEX 2023 National Broker of the Year in Ag Land Ranch Sales by the REALTORS® Land Institute as a part of the RLI APEX Production Awards Program, sponsored by The Land Report.

This is the 2nd year in a row the Kansas native has outsold the country in Ranch land sales.

“It’s an honor to represent the landowners of rural properties across the country,” says Hayden. “Our team of land specialists and staff continues to deliver an immense amount of value to the sellers and buyers of rural land. From land research, marketing and advertising of the properties we sell, to buyer representation and due diligence during a transaction, we strive to offer exceptional services that outperform the competition.”

Austin Callison was awarded the Regional Ranch Land and Residential Land Broker of the Year Awards for Region 4 (ID, MT, OR, WA) and both Callison and John Herrity were recognized as 2023 Apex Producers Club award winners.

Hayden was recognized by RLI CEO Aubrie Kobernus, MBA, RCE, as well as The Land Report’s Co-founders Eddie Lee Rider Jr. and Eric O’Keefe at a special awards ceremony on Tuesday, March 12, during RLI’s 2024 National Land Conference (NLC24) in Louisville, KY.

“We are incredibly proud of Dax for his accomplishments in 2023. It takes a significant amount of transaction volume to achieve a National Broker of the Year award. It speaks to his dedication to both the industry and his clients. He is truly among the most accomplished professionals in land real estate,” said Kobernus.

Dax is joined by many other agents within Hayden Outdoors Real Estate that have sold a tremendous amount of land in 2023. Forty two agents and brokers had sold over $5 Million in land sales within the brokerage in 2023, helping the brokerage to over $1 Billion in land sales in 2023 and over $5 Billion since 2019.

About Hayden Outdoors: Hayden Outdoors, LLC is a family-owned and operated real estate brokerage started in Goodland, Kansas in 1976 that is based in Windsor, Colorado. Hayden Outdoors has grown to over 225 licensed brokers, agents and staff in over 33 states. Learn more by visiting www.HaydenOutdoors.com.

Hayden Outdoors Represents Tennessee’s Largest Mine for Sale

Over $11.5B Worth of Blue Gem Coal Available On This Property

Elk Valley is located in Campbell County, Tennessee, 50 miles north of Knoxville and about 25 miles south of Williamsburg, KY. Here lies over 8,000 acres and one of the most lucrative listings in the state of Tennessee with an estimated $11.5 billion worth of Blue Gem Coal, making it one of the best natural resource investments on the East Coast.

Blue Gem Coal is a scarce substance and one of the most highly valued grades of coal in the world and is recognized among industrial users for its very low ash and sulfur contents and extremely high grade. It is found in only 3 states in the US and is used to make solar panels, cell phones, and other critical technologies and commodities used around the world by consumers and businesses alike.

Located in the heart of Elk Valley, this rare property for sale is an ideal investment opportunity that boasts the largest proven underground reserve of Blue Gem Coal in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Elk Valley holds additional profitable natural resources on the other properties, such as timber, and natural gas. According to Hayden Outdoors broker and land specialist, Heath Thompson, “With Elk Valley having the largest proven underground reserve of Blue Gem Coal in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and the going rate of $350 per ton, the potential earnings from one natural resource is in the billions.”

Thompson explained more about the Tennessee land for sale, “Ketchen Holdings offers the investor or buyer a portfolio of properties with recoverable natural resources. There are 4 mineable tracts unique to this specific region of TN that offer over 33 million tons of coal including Blue Gem Coal, over 160+ million tons of Silica Sand, merchantable timber, numerous natural gas wells, and a major natural gas pipeline. The combined estimated value of Blue Gem Coal and Silica Sand is around $25 billion dollars. Making it extremely lucrative to the right investor. The royalties from natural gas and income from other revenue streams such as hunting leases or merchantable timber are an added benefit.”

Elk Valley | $17.5M | 8128 ac. | 33M tons of Blue Gem Coal | $350 per ton | $11.5B estimated total value
Buffalo Tract | $2.1M | 1272 ac. | Natural Gas
Mars Sand Mountain | $8.9M | 1976 ac. | 160+M tons of Silica Sand | $96 per ton | $15.3B estimated total value
Westbourne Mountain | $9.1M | 4115 ac. | 9.7M tons of Thermal Coal
- Total Price for all 4 properties: $37.6M | total acreage: 15,491

To learn more about adding this natural resources investment property to your portfolio, please contact Heath Thompson at [email protected] | (912)536-5151

Bobby Norris Team Joins Hayden Outdoors in Fort Worth

Rancher, horseman and real estate broker Bobby Norris recently made a move in the real estate industry, and the deal should send a ripple through the Texas ranch broker industry.

Bobby Norris and his team of agents in Fort Worth, Texas have partnered with the Hayden Outdoors Real Estate brokerage to help serve Texas and bring land, game ranches, livestock and working horse knowledge to accompany the firm’s already growing Lone Star team.

The move involves all of Norris’ team to switch brands to Hayden Outdoors, but the land specialists won’t miss a beat with real estate service and will increase exposure in Fort Worth, Dallas and Texas as a whole. Norris was most impressed with the marketing and advertising plan of the Colorado-based firm.

“The Hayden Outdoors marketing plan is second to none and recognizing this in past transactions made this move eminent. Their level of cutting-edge marketing is not done in Texas, and we are thrilled to join their team and serve our landowners with an incredible amount of real estate exposure. It’s light years ahead of the Texas land market.”

Dax Hayden, Managing Partner at Hayden Outdoors, knew this would supplement their footprint in Texas, the largest ranch market in the US. “Bobby and I see eye to eye on branding, knowledge and delivering landowners REAL marketing. After we agreed that this was a mutually beneficial, we were “all-in” on bringing their firm into our family. We’re just really excited to have their team join ours!”

Hayden Outdoors jumped into the niche marketing that Bobby Norris had experience with, and in a couple weeks they’ve launched multiple partnerships in the Cutting and Reining Horse industry. “The NCHA Futurity and World Finals Sponsorship made complete sense to me and with their promotion on the hit series Yellowstone, all parties are sure to benefit from the timing of this launch. Other Texas working horse and livestock events will surely fall in our marketing and event calendar. Having an experienced team of land brokers in this industry is key to serving landowners selling specialty properties,” said Dan Brunk, Director of Marketing for Hayden Outdoors.

Bobby Norris bring over a dozen qualified agents and brokers to the Hayden Outdoors team, specializing in equestrian facilities, game ranches, cattle ranches, luxury estates, rural ranchettes, and recreational properties in Texas. Ricky Gohmert will continue to hold the Managing Broker status in the State of Texas for Hayden Outdoors.

Bobby Norris Team Joining Hayden Outdoors:

Pictured Below:

Bobby and JJ Norris with sons Rhett (14) and Gates (17)

Greg Norman Seven Lakes Ranch Sells – Hayden Outdoors Brings Buyer

June 2, 2021 – Meeker, CO: In an onslaught of major recent land deals for Hayden Outdoors Real Estate, one is getting lots of press. The sale of Greg Norman’s Seven Lakes Ranch near Meeker, Colorado. In addition to the recent sale of the Kucera Ashcraft Ranch, Twin Pine Ranch and others that Hayden Outdoors have represented, totaling over 50,000 acres this year, the purchase of Norman’s ranch is significant for more than the popularity of its owner.

Hayden Outdoors agent and Elk Creek guide Colton Brown represented Chuck Kuhn, the buyer, in the transaction, which in total transferred roughly 11,600 acres of land ownership. Multiple parties were involved with the deal, one being JK Land Holdings, owned by Kuhn, which seeks to conserve nearly 11,000 acres.

The Kuhn family will retain the Seven Lakes lodge and surrounding land, and a majority of the remaining acreage will be acquired by neighboring Elk Creek Ranch, a one-of-a-kind private sporting community dedicated to conscientious stewardship of the land that it owns and manages. Brown is a guide at Elk Creek Ranch, and knows the ins and outs of the property, the river and Seven Lakes Ranch.

“This transaction spanned over 9 months when we started early dealings. It was an important goal for Chuck and I to give Elk Creek Ranch an opportunity to add an additional 11,000 acres of prime Elk hunting and a couple miles of very important water. In my mind, this addition completely transforms Elk Creek into one of the most pristine in the country for fishing and hunting. We now have an accumulated 25,000 acres of hunting accompanied by over 30 miles of fishing. As a resident and native to this valley the conservation easement is important to all parties, assuring this country will never be developed.”

The buyer is a land enthusiast as well. “Greg’s legacy extends well beyond golf. He is an outdoorsman and conservationist, and we share his vision of preserving this amazing swath of Colorado from future development,” said Mr. Kuhn, CEO, JKLH, and Founder and CEO, JK Moving Services, the nation’s largest independently owned and operated moving company.

With this acquisition, the Elk Creek Ranch development will double its grounds to over 25,000 acres, expanding what is already well known in the recreational and sporting industry as a top “shared-amenity” ranch in North America. From fishing to hunting, private restaurant and bar, on-site fly shop and clubhouse, Elk Creek Ranch offers homeowners luxury amenities and world class recreation in the quiet White River Valley, just east of Meeker, Colorado.

Hall and Hall represented the sellers in the transaction.

Contact Colton Brown for information on Elk Creek Ranch real estate opportunities.

Hayden Outdoors sells Bighorn Mountain Ranch

HAYDEN OUTDOORS SELLS HISTORIC RANCH IN WYOMING

Buyers Add To Their New Wyoming Ranch Portfolio

For the second time in under a month, the team at Hayden Outdoors Real Estate has sold a massive ranch in Wyoming. Congratulations are in order for all parties involved in the sale of the Bighorn Mountain Ranch near Shell, Wyoming. “It was a real pleasure working with both Bill Vacek and Dax Hayden on the sale of our ranch. Both Bill and Dax are very much in tune with our goals of continued protection of the environment and the abundant wildlife on this ranch,” said the seller, a third generation Wyoming rancher. Hayden Outdoors represented the buyer and seller in the transaction but both parties are kept confidential due to brokerage agreements.

In addition to the Bighorn Mountain Ranch, Vacek also listed and sold the recently famous Monster Lake Ranch to his clients near Cody, Wyoming. “Bill is a genuine professional and was fantastic to work with from start to finish on this transaction,” said Dan Edelman, the seller of Monster Lake Guest Ranch. Although policy keeps the buyers name confidential, they have made their purchase very public.

Large ranches and exclusive properties like these will air on Hayden Outdoors’ new TV show “Life On The Land,” hosted by the legendary NFL great Brett Favre.

In January 2020, the new show will launch on RFD-TV, America’s #1 rural broadcast network. With an emphasis on rural landowners, exclusive ranches and lifestyles of brokers and their clients, Hayden Outdoors set-out to find a host with an authentic tie to the great outdoors. “Brett Favre was the perfect fit,” said Dax Hayden, Managing Partner of Hayden Outdoors Real Estate. “Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve had a connection the outdoors and I’ve always known that after football, I’d get back to my roots,” said Favre.

About Hayden Outdoors

Hayden Outdoors, LLC is a family-owned and operated real estate brokerage that opened its doors in 1976, and is based in Windsor, Colorado. With over 100 licensed brokers, agents and staff across multiple states, Hayden Outdoors is recognized as one of the largest land brokerages in the country. Hayden Outdoors has also been named as one of the “Best Brokerages” every year since 2011 by The Land Report Magazine and recently by the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies. Hayden Outdoors will continue to put down roots in areas that already border their current footprint and will bring its full real estate services to all states that align with the firm’s future strategic plans. Learn more by visiting www.HaydenOutdoors.com. Contact Dan Brunk for more details at [email protected]

Hayden Outdoors Expands Real Estate Services Into Texas

Hayden Outdoors Real Estate has expanded into Texas to offer its full line of real estate services to clients in the second largest state of the Union. Due to demand from buyers and sellers alike, the 42-year old real estate firm has established a real estate licensure in Texas with the addition of multiple licensed agents in various regions of the state.

Texas is one of the largest sources for real estate business in the country, if not the World. In addition to having eight of the top thirty U.S. cities for residential real estate according to WalletHub.com, the rural land, ranch and recreational real estate economy is unsurpassed. By specializing in large ranches, farms, recreational properties, rural estates, and legacy properties, Hayden Outdoors feels the fit and timing is right.

Eric O’Keefe, Editor of The Land Report, a leading national land-based real estate publication, suggests Texas is the anchor in the land purveyor business. “From the tropics of South Texas to the High Plains of the Panhandle, the Texas market is essential for any real estate company with a national footprint. In addition, more than 95 percent of Texas is privately owned, and that means the Lone Star State has more than 142 million acres of farms, ranches, and timber tracts available to savvy investors.”

Dax Hayden, Hayden Outdoors Managing Broker and Partner, is excited but cautious for the expansion. “Texas is a big state with lots of territory to cover, but our branding is stronger there than one might think. 10% of the visitors to our website come from Texas, which means over 50,000 Texans see our brand many times in any given year. We want to bring on quality brokers and agents that care about the land and are high performing real estate professionals.”

Agents that are joining the Hayden Outdoors team in Texas include Ricky Gohmert in South Texas, Darron Hanner in Southeast Texas, and Phil Phillips in South Central Texas. Hayden Outdoors looks to add quality land brokers and recreational land enthusiasts in Texas.

Dax Hayden Awarded 2017 Ranch Broker Of The Year

RECEIVES TOTAL OF THREE REALTORS® LAND INSTITUTE 2017 APEX AWARDS

March 20, 2018 (Windsor) – Dax Hayden with Hayden Outdoors, LLC from Windsor, CO, has received the 2017 Broker of the Year in Ag Land Sales – Ranches, as part of their 2017 APEX Top Producers Club, and as an APEX 2017 Top Twenty Producer by the Realtors® Land Institute. Dax received the awards during the APEX Awards Program Ceremony at RLI’s National Land Conference hosted this year in Nashville, TN, on March 13.

“It is an honor to receive the Ranch Broker of the Year award. At Hayden Outdoors we strive to represent a variety of rural properties in our region, and I have had the pleasure of working for a fantastic group of landowners and buyers,” said Hayden upon receiving the award. Hayden has been a member of RLI since 2011.

Hayden Outdoors set a record for land sales in 2017, eclipsing $250 million in real estate sales, including over 250 transactions. “2018 looks to be on track for another great year, and our growth of professional land brokers stems from our strong marketing plan, ethical real estate practice and winning attitude of our team,” said Hayden.

The APEX Awards Program, sponsored by The Land Report, celebrated its inaugural year with fifty applicants totaling a combined $1B+ in qualifying transaction volume. The awards program is designed to recognize the excellence and performance of the best in the business with these prestigious land real estate production-based awards. Every year, the Realtors® Land Institute recognizes the year’s ‘Top Producer Award’ for the agent with the highest production level; ‘Broker of the Year Award’ for the agents with the highest production in each of the seven distinct land categories; ‘Wrangler’ award for the agent with the most transactions; the ‘APEX Top 20’recognizing the top twenty agents, and the “APEX Producers Club” recognizing all applicants who met the minimum qualifying volume of $4M.

“We are proud of Dax Hayden and all of our members that were recognized for their accomplishments in 2017. They truly are the crème of the crop when it comes to land real estate professionals,” said RLI’s CEO Aubrie Kobernus, MBA, RCE, about the new program.

To learn more about The APEX Awards Program or the opportunities available through the Realtors® Land Institute, please visit rliland.com.

ABOUT: Hayden Outdoors, LLC is a family-owned and operated real estate brokerage started in 1976 that is based in Windsor, Colorado. With over 65 licensed brokers and staff, Hayden Outdoors is recognized as one of the largest land brokerage in the central United States and “Best Brokerages” every year since 2011 by The Land Report Magazine. Hayden Outdoors is also a founding partner of LandLeader, the largest land marketing company in America.

Hayden Outdoors Realizes Tremendous Growth

Hayden Outdoors, a regional real estate brokerage specializing in rural land sales and marketing, cleared a huge milestone in 2017, selling over $250 million in land, ranches and rural properties. Excellent professional land brokers, innovative marketing, team growth and economic markets appear to be the top factors spurring this success.

“2017 has been a momentous year for us that finished strong, and it wasn’t just from one or two large sales; Over 250 properties were sold by our team of over sixty brokers and agents,” says Dax Hayden, the firm’s managing partner. “That’s a record for our firm and a monstrous amount of transactions by our team,” said Hayden. But with such growth comes the need for a strong support staff, and Hayden has built a lineup full of marketing professionals.

“Old-school land brokers place an ad in a real estate magazine, pound a sign in the ground and add the listing to a few websites. We do more marketing for our clients selling their ranches, resulting in higher numbers of sales than the average land brokerage,” says Dan Brunk, Hayden Outdoors Marketing Director.

Since the recent boom in residential real estate, Hayden Outdoors’ recreational lands have followed suit. New properties for sale have also grown 17% at the firm, with just over 375 new ranch, farm and rural property listings hitting the market with Hayden Outdoors just in the last year.

Hunting properties, waterfront, rural estates and cabins with land have all contributed to this record setting year. With cattle prices on the rise, legacy ranches and cattle operations are also trading hands. In contrast, row crop and farm ground has been slower reflective of commodity prices. Hayden Outdoors’ auction division is poised to sell such rural lands.

“As row crop and commodity markets return to normal, we’ll see a shift in land sales to the farm market across the Great Plains and Midwest. We’re already seeing a strong start to the selling cycle in 2018 with many farms starting to list some of their ground for sale,” said Hayden. “Now might be the right time for farmers to sell, as they will be ahead of the swing, giving motivated buyers first dibs on their land before the market is saturated.”

Nebraska Hunting And Fishing Day

Hayden Outdoors Associate Broker Justin Hertzel, president of the Nebraska Big Game Society (NBGS), attended the signing of the Nebraska proclamation to create a National Hunting and Fishing Day in Nebraska. The proclamtion was signed into law yesterday by Governor Ricketts. The Proclamation dedicates Saturday, September 23, 2017 as National Hunting and Fishing Day in the State of Nebraska. This is a great example of what NBGS is doing for Nebraska…By bringing conservation and wildlife management practices to the public eye.

Representing NBGS: Justin Hertzel -President (Pictured 2nd from right), Rick Brandt – Founding Member, Jon Thomas – Director
Representatives Attending: Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Nebraska Sportsmen’s Foundation, NGPC, Pheasants Forever Nebraska

Learn more about NBGS here

Proclamation Document here.

Inspiring Country Style Living Room Ideas For Your Ranch

Author: Bryn Huntpalmer, Modernize

Country-style decor can sometimes get a bad wrap. People often think of ceramic roosters from years past or glaring red barn doors. But here at Modernize, we absolutely love country decor—and we know you can achieve that rustic aesthetic with a modern twist. Here are some great tips to design the country-style living room your ranch is missing.

Bring Nature Inside

For a truly rustic feel, utilize natural wood for paneling, floors, doors or furniture. The warm colors will brighten up the space without feeling overdone, and it’ll feel reminiscent of a lodge or a modern barn.Treat wood with a stain or sealant close to the raw color to preserve its natural beauty.

You can also bring in plants to sunny areas. The best indoor plants for bright light are cactus, succulents, agave, and figs. Grow your indoor plants in rustic tins or planters to create a cohesive look.

Kick off Your Shoes

People feel drawn to country decor for several reasons, but the most common is comfort. Country colors, like rustic red, warm yellow, and shades of brown, invite guests to relax and stay for a while. Choose a chair or couch that is so comfy, you can’t walk past it without sinking in. Kick up your feet on a leather, plaid, or neutral-colored sofa or chair.

Make sure there’s space for your family and a few guests, so you can all be in the same room together. You’ll need a coffee table, too. We love the idea of building a table out of a recycled pallet, or unstained and sealed wood.

Accessories Tie the Room Together

If you’re a hunter, showing off antlers can be a great conversation starter for your living room. You can do a lot with antlers, from hanging lights, lanterns, and LED candles to incorporating them into a bookshelf, coffee table, or magazine rack.

Window treatments offer a finishing touch, but these are usually pretty simple in country-style decor. Go for a plaid or striped fabric, or install straw or bamboo blinds to add a neutral color and maintain privacy. You can even use those antlers to draw the curtains to the side and hook them into place.

Get creative with small accessories, from ammo coasters to model cars, horseshoes, and repurposed whiskey bottles. For a rug, choose a size that suits your sitting space, and bring in a pop of rustic color or a pattern that makes you feel peaceful.

Room to Entertain

You can keep your flat-screen 4K TV with no worries about it “fitting” with country-style decor. Just choose an entertainment center with doors that close to hide your electronics and wiring. Find one with shelves for Blu-Rays, gaming consoles, remotes, and sound systems.

If you love books, incorporate bookshelves into your living room to create a reading area. You can also set up a chessboard or a collection of board games for hosting guests and family nights. Choosing to split up a living room into sections maintains the cohesive, open flow while utilizing the space for multiple purposes to take advantage of square footage.

So, if you’ve been dreaming of that rustic man cave or neutral family room, now you have some ideas to help you get started on turning that dream into reality!

About the Author:

Bryn Huntpalmer is a mother of two young children living in Austin, Texas where she currently works as an Editor for Modernize. In addition to regularly contributing to Home Remodeling and Design websites around the web, her writing can be found on Lifehacker and About.com.