Valentine, TX 79854(Jeff Davis County)

The ranch is rich in history with a famous Supreme Court case where owner Lyman Moody Bennett shot a horse from under a Border Patrol Agent in the 1950s in one of the irrigated cotton fields over a dispute of immigrant workers. Moody Bennett Ranch was once a major farm and cattle operation with over 9 wells located above a large discrete segment of the West Texas Bolson Aquifer with prolific shallow fresh water. In its hay day, this ranch produced cotton, alfalfa, bermuda and grains to support a thriving agricultural operation from 9 miles of levees all compartmentalized into 25-30 ac flood fields and several irrigation circles. The past owner ran 500 head of cattle within this improved agricultural infrastructure on only the deeded lands until 2003. Today the levees, ponds, and some of the wells are still intact, creating an opportunity for irrigated grass, wetland, and surface water development for waterfowl and wildlife.

The ranch is situated along the banks of the Rio Grande River with over 11.5 miles of frontage through fields, impoundments, hills, and rugged mountains. There are many locations that give direct access to the river and after monsoon summer rains its an easy canoe or kayaking run along stretches of the ranch. The elevation lies between 3,950 feet at Calvery Pond in the hills to 3,000 feet along the Rio Grande.

The ranch also has leases from the Texas General Land office providing river and upland additions to the ranch for hunting and recreation.

Improvements

The headquarters has two buildings side by side, one being a 1bedroom and 1bath Forman House and the other a Hunting and owner Lodge. This building has three bedrooms and two baths with kitchen, living, and a shaded front porch. These are comfortable overnight facilities for owners, hunters, and the foreman, who grew up on the ranch. Additional improvements include a barn with a deer cleaning-station and cold storage. There is an old airstrip at the headquarters that, with some work, could be reactivated. There is an excellent network of roads and water impoundment structures ready for the new owners management plans.

Habitat

This Far West Texas ranch is a combination of fallow farms and pastures along the river dominated today by large mesquites, willow, salt cedar, and brush with Bermuda and native grass scattered throughout. In the upland areas and mountains, you can find a mix of Chihuahuan Desert grasslands of blue gramma, green sprangletop, tobosa, black gramma, chino gramma and side oats gramma with diverse native mesquites, desert willow, soapberry, hackberry, ash, juniper, and Mexican walnut. Numerous large mountains, bluffs and mesas create excellent topography, and the views of the surrounding mountains are nothing short of breathtaking. Excellent grasses, shrubs, cactus and plants provide habitat for native wildlife animals and livestock. This is an excellent cross-section of the various habitat types found in the mid to lower elevation of West Texas.

Wildlife

This ranch is a diverse hunting ranch with the combination of mountain habitats, riparian woodlands, grassland, and desert scrub. This is Mule deer country along with aoudad and upland birds and waterfowl. Both Blue quail and Gambles quail can be found here with large flights of mourning doves. At one time with the fields in operation, the ranch pulled in game from the entire region as they grazed on gains and alfalfa. The water development structures with brush work and re-development of the water system could produce one of the most amazing duck and waterfowl ranches in the Big Bend.

Other mammals species can be found in the wooded canyons and river habitats such as fox, ringtail cat, coyote, javelina, mountain lions, bobcats, and feral hogs and the occasional Desert Big Horn Sheep. Migrating neotropical songbirds use the corridors of water and vegetation making this a birders paradise. It is all about the water and this ranch is one of a kind with its springs, live water river, and improved water impoundment system.

Water

Moody Bennett Ranch has a documented history of irrigation use since the 1940s and is located over an Aquifer that is unregulated by Groundwater Districts. Most of this discrete part of The Bolson is located entirely on the ranch. There were nine historic wells that today the owners have tested a few and have a tremendous ability to lift large volumes of shallow sweet water and move to a variety of locations. Rio Grande Electric just finished rebuilding the elaborate electrical system that powered these wells with electricity stretching over 8 miles though the ranch.

The ranch also has three named springs in the upland location called Ash, and Ocotillo, some of which are captured and distributed to drinking troughs for wildlife and livestock. The 11.5 miles of Rio Grand River is also a huge water resource for the ranch.