“Tanking” is a thing in Nebraska. It’s a day spent floating down a slow, scenic river in a stock tank outfitted with some benches or lawn chairs, a cooler full of cold drinks, some oars and your friends. It can also be a money-making enterprise for farms and ranches lucky enough to have river access, like Bruce and Sue Ann Switzer of Burwell, Nebraska.
“We looked at what we had, what our natural resources were, and one of them was the river, so it was a pretty easy decision,” says Sue Ann, adding that tanking is by far her ranch’s most popular offering. “You can’t make it go faster, you can’t make it go slower. You just relax and go with the flow.”
Different outfitters offer different packages. If you think something like this might be for you, here’s a link to a list of outfitters in the Nebraska area. You can check them out to see how they set up their tank trips and what kinds of rules they have for their clients to get an idea of how you might structure something like this to fit your operation. Don’t forget to check with local governments to find out about possible regulations about river use, and with your insurance agent to make sure you’re covered.
If you do decide to take this on, let me know. I’ve put tanking on my bucket list! 🙂
Don’t Have a River?
How about taking Sue Ann Switzer’s example of looking at the natural resources on and around your place and thinking about them in a different way. To get you thinking, learn more here about how the family has added enterprises so that the next generation can make a living on the ranch.
Then share your ideas with the On Pasture community. We’d love to hear your ideas, no matter how crazy they might seem at first!
I’d suggest wearing the life preservers. It may even be required by law.