Balmorhea, TX 79718(Reeves County)

Farming of this property dates back to at least the 1950s when it was row irrigated from concrete ditches, about 13,000 of which are still on the property. In the early 1980s, W.R. Grace & Co. purchased the property, installed center pivots, established permanent grass, fenced and cross fenced into mostly -section pastures and installed an extensive livestock watering system. After a few years, they switched from improved grass to annual crops such as cotton and removed some of the cross fencing. New owners planted most of the farm to alfalfa beginning in the mid 1990s and operated until accidental chemical damage to the alfalfa crop caused operations to cease in 2002. The farm has been fallow since that time.

Most of the irrigation wells are from approximately 500 to 700 deep with 16 casing (some have 12 liners) and pumps set between 440 and 460. All pumps are currently 8 turbines with vertical hollow shaft electric motors. Static water level is reportedly from 200 to 250. Three of the well motors are connected directly to utility-owned lines and have individual meters. Electricity is distributed to the balance of the property by approximately 8 miles of power lines and 33 transformers owned by the farm and connected to a single primary meter. This arrangement enables the farm to negotiate for advantageous electricity rates from a choice of suppliers. Wells are connected with 77,400 of 10 and 5200 of 12 underground high pressure PVC pipe.

All center pivots are mile in length and reportedly have 1200 gpm nozzle packages. All have PVC pipe suspended below the metal spans with hoses that reach the ground. All but two pivots are Gifford-Hill 10-tower systems that were installed in 1980 or 1981 and reconditioned in mid 1990s. One of these pivots was turned over by a wind storm and has had parts removed from it. The other two pivots are a T&L and a Lockwood installed in 1998 or 1999.

The topography of this farm is nearly level with less than a 1% slope for most of the area. The predominant soil type is Verhalen clay with large areas of Reakor silty clay loam on the east part of the property. Water quality analyses show approximately 2500 to 3000 ppm of total dissolved solids with about 1/3 of these being sulfates.

Additional improvements include a headquarters area with a number of structures including two barns and an office as well as a 70 truck scale. On the other side of the farm is a two-story house that would require repairs. Each section is fenced with 5-strand barbed wire and steel posts except for half of the west side of section 134 and some sections are also cross fenced. There is an excellent cattle watering system with 19 large concrete watering troughs, 5 miles of underground pipe line, 2 large storage tanks and a well with submersible electric motor and pump.

The east side of the property has 1 of miles frontage on Hwy 17. The north side has 3 miles of frontage on FM 3334. There is section of land on the north side of FM 3334. Pecos Valley Southern, a private rail line that is currently inactive, runs on the east side of the property. No mineral interest is offered with the property. There is currently no apparent oil or gas production however a drilling pad for a gas well is under construction and a second pad has been staked. Section 111 which is between sections 70 and 134 of this property is available for purchase. A 1532-acre farm with 7 center pivots that is 1 mile north of this property is also available as is a 635-acre farm with 3 center pivots and a feedlot 4 miles north of this property.

Large tracts of farmland with big water such as this property are rare. It would be ideal for a number of different types of farming operation or for a large dairy that could produce all of its own feed.