Pecos, TX 79772(Reeves County)

The wells are cased with 16 steel pipe to the bottom of the hole, have 8 turbine pumps set at about 480 ft and the static water level is approximately 240 ft. Five of the pumps are powered with natural gas engines and one has a 150 hp vertical hollow shaft electric motor. There are 3 wells that are not currently in use and 3 quarter-section fields that are fallow but have previously had center-pivot systems. The southernmost half section was surface irrigated out of open concrete ditches when last farmed but has been fallow for over 20 years.

The soil is a very deep clay loam and the topography is nearly level. Alfalfa does very well in this area and the owner reports that he easily sells all the organic alfalfa that he produces for over a 50% premium compared to the non-organic alfalfa produced in the area. Cotton also grows well in the area as do many grain crops. The Pecos area is widely known for the superior flavor of its cantaloupes which is attributed to the areas soils and water. A Texas Agricultural Experiment Station which is located 10 miles north of this farm is studying the production of other crops suitable for the area including castor beans and pomegranates.

A 20,000 head feedyard and feedmill cover most of the east half of the NE quarter of Section 7. The north half of the feedyard was built in 1973 with metal feed bunks and the south half was built in 1975 with concrete feed bunks. The feedyard was first used for growing and fattening beef cattle but was used for dairy cattle from 1988 to 2008. The owner milked upwards of 750 cows from 1988 to 1997 and raised heifers for a number of dairies from 1993 to 2008. The feedmill was built in 1993 and was operated until 2008. It has two large grain storage bins, eight to ten overhead commodity bins and two Roskamp dry-roll grain processors. There are also 4 large, 90 ft. tall Harvestore silos with Atlas unloaders that are in good condition.

There is a nice office building at the feedyard and a 70-ft digital truck scale. There are four homes, two of which are being used and two of which need repairs. Water is supplied to the homes and office by a rural water system, Madera Valley Water. The farm is 10 miles south of Interstate 10 on FM 869 and 1 mile west on CR 128. All of Tract 1 except the W of Section 1 plus part of Tract 2 has Farm Service Agency (FSA) Farm No. 1971. The W of Section 1 and rest of Tract 2 has FSA Farm No. 1973.

Tract 2. This 732-acre tract is about half way between Tract 1 and I10. It has not been farmed for 15 to 20 years and still has the old concrete ditches that were used for row watering. There are 4 or 5 irrigation wells that are 1000 to 1200 ft deep including one that the owner says is the best well in Reeves County. The land lays very well and has 1 mile of frontage on FM 869. There is some scattered mesquite brush which would need to be grubbed however most of the brush is 4-wing saltbush which can be shredded and plowed. The water and soils are similar to Tract 1.

Tract 3. The third tract is 400 acres closer to Balmorhea that has been fallow for three years. It has one 1992 Reinke sprinkler and a second sprinkler was removed to laser-level the south part of the land for flood irrigation. This leveling has not quite been completed. There are two wells including one equipped with a 10 pump and one equipped with an 8 pump. These wells are 800 to 1000 ft deep and were previously pumped using natural gas which is no longer available but three-phase electricity is available. The soils on this tract are more sandy than on the other two tracts and are not as deep. The owner produced silage on this farm four years ago. This tract has FSA Farm No. 1974.

The excellent soils, nearly level topography and large volumes of irrigation water plus a long growing season gives these farms tremendous production potential for a wide array of crops. The feedyard and feedmill could easily be activated for beef cattle including Mexican steers and/or growing dairy heifers. A large dairy would require only the addition of a milking parlor and perhaps some modification of the feedyard.