I spent most of my life in Kansas, in and around ag thinking the same things. After moving to a desolate part of north central Washington I can tell you that buying agricultural land in Kansas (depending on the part of the state) the number one priority should be to make that land produce, for several reasons. I tend to agree that goats, in general are fun and smart, but it also gets them in trouble. I have alot of friends that love their hair sheep. Equine tend to have a higher overhead than return for most people and are harder on the ground there. Sheep and goats require a little better fencing than beef but the markets have been going up steadily for over a decade with no end in sight. I don't think home raised beef is a bad investment for personal use but the overall future of the commercial beef market is starting to look pretty uncertain for such an initial investment. Poultry and rabbits are great starters to get your feet wet with livestock management such as record keeping, chore schedules, being attached to your farm, and knowing the ratio of input over the purchase price of the animals. Hope this helps.
