Topendtorque,
In Texas, agricultural tax exemptions make just about every land owner of any size a "rancher." In fact, driving out of Houston's IAH airport, you'll see a small plot of land in between hotels and car parks, with several head of cattle. Smart land owner, that one. The first thing someone does when they buy a couple acres in the country is apply as a ranch and get the ag tax exemption, and put a few head of cattle on it for when the tax collector comes by.