L A S NU T R I AS FAR M Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico $4,500,000 | 320± Acres
Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
INTRODUCTION Distant gentle mountains surround Las Nutrias - the little historic community whose southern edge just touches this farm. Nestled in the Rio Grande Valley south of Albuquerque, this place along the river feels timeless. The architecture of the Las Nutrias San Ysidro Catholic Mission church, origin 1860, best represents the character of this charming place. The village’s original name was La Vega de Las Nutrias meaning Meadow of the Beavers. The farm’s 320± acres are mainly cultivated ground. The seller currently holds some pre-1907 water rights which they could sell along with the farm, or the buyer could lease irrigation water from the seller, other private water sources, or maybe the MRGCD. Location. Location. Location. This farm is 50 miles south of Albuquerque via Interstate 25, less than an hour from the Albuquerque Sunport. Moreover, friendly, growing Los Lunas lies between the farm and Albuquerque. To name a few employers, Los Lunas is home to a Facebook Data Center Campus, a Walmart Distribution Center, and a University Workforce Training Center. Then thirty miles south of the farm, you find the charming town of Socorro with its respected college, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and its 18-hole public golf course. Currently, irrigation water is delivered via Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) ditches, and a dairy, 5 miles away in Veguita, leases the farm and water for $80,000 a year. Planted in Sorghum Sudangrass, the crop is utilized by this dairy that is milking four-thousand cows. The seller is also looking into the process of restoring an old irrigation well on the farm. Lying in New Mexico Game Unit 14, the farm is home to dove, quail, pheasant, and turkey. Waterfowl use the irrigation ditches and flyway heavily – including ducks, geese, snow geese, and magnificent sandhill cranes. There is also an annual depredation elk hunt in the Rio Grande Bosque and the farm is awarded tags. Socorro County living is comfortable thanks to a mild, dry (low humidity), high-elevation (4,600± feet) climate. The county boasts the largest wildlife refuge in New Mexico, Sevilleta National, which is immediately south of the farm, and one of the top birding destinations in the country, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, which is just south of Socorro.
www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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QUICK FACTS • • • • • • • • • •
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320± acres with recent survey Scenic setting with 360-degree mountain views Long growing season, mild climate, elevation 4,750± feet Farm is leased to a dairy that grows silage crops to feed 4,000 cows Convenient location south of Albuquerque, between Los Lunas and Socorro Teeming with wildlife! Numerous wildlife refuges in the immediate area Hunting and birdwatching opportunities include ducks, geese, turkey, pheasant, snow geese, and sandhill crane The farm gets tags for depredation elk hunts in adjoining Rio Grande Bosque Mineral rights and gravel deposits Seller owns associated pre-1907 water rights. The seller is open to selling or leasing them with or without the farm
Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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AREA HISTORY Farming flourished long ago in the Rio Grande river valley with the early Pueblo cultures’ primitive irrigation. The Spanish arrived around 1600 and expanded it further. Farming continued through the centuries, with modern times (1925) bringing the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy. A water management authority known as the MRGCD, its vast array of levees and irrigation canals that deliver water from Albuquerque to Elephant Butte Lake, and the legacy of Mountain View Farm’s long-standing water rights are mixed with the interesting story of the MRGCD. https://www.mrgcd.com/history/
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Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
ACREAGE 320± total acres www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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SCENIC VISTAS Resting in the green Rio Grande River Valley, distant mountain views surround you, giving the setting an enchanted, magic quality. Many valley farms have given way to nice residential subdivision. Many of those have maintained the rural character and take advantage of the scenic beauty and large cottonwood trees that shade trails along ditches that deliver and return water between the river and farms. 6
Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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IMPROVEMENTS The farm has limited improvements besides the concrete-lined irrigation ditches. There is one domestic well on the property that historically served two old residences. This well and its associated electric service offers one location option for new construction or perhaps an easy set-up for a new modular home. There is also an old irrigation well on property, which the seller is investigating the process of restoring.
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Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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RECREATION Boasting the largest wildlife refuge in New Mexico (Sevilleta) and one of the top birding destinations in the country (Bosque Del Apache), outdoor recreation options are spectacular in Socorro County. Hike, bike, climb, or take your vehicles off-road. Golfing and fishing opportunities are abundant, too.
H unting & W ildlife Located in Game Management Unit (GMU) 14, the farm offers spectacular hunting and birdwatching. Populations of dove and quail make themselves known, and ring-necked pheasant constantly show themselves. Flocks of wild turkey also gravitate from the river bosque onto the farm. And as one might expect with a large area of wetland habitat, the farm is a magnet for migrating waterfowl, including ducks, geese, snow geese, and sandhill cranes. Lastly, the farm receives elk tags from annual river bosque depredation hunts. 10
Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
INCOME OPPORTUNITY The farm is leased to a large dairy operation that milks four-thousand cows. They grow crops for silage - currently Sorghum Sudangrass. Hunting could be monetized. Gravel and other minerals present opportunities. And land subdivision is the trend from Los Lunas southward. Moreover, many agricultural land buyers make deals with land trusts placing conservation easements on their properties, preserving the land and creating tax credits and wealth management advantages.
www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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CLIMATE
Climate data for nearby Socorro courtesy of http://www.city-data.com/city/Socorro-New-Mexico.html
Socorro County climate is mild and sunny; not too hot, with less than 25 days a year where temperatures exceed 95 degrees, and not too cold, with less than 30 days a year when the temperature drops below freezing. An average of ten inches of rain is complemented by six inches of snow, with an average of 47 days having some precipitation each year. This is a very comfortable, high elevation (4600± feet) and pleasantly dry (low humidity) climate!
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Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
Very Large Array
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES The Very Large Array (VLA) is a radio astronomy observatory out on the remarkable plains of San Agustin, 50 miles west of Socorro. The site is a great tourist draw and very much worth the visit. The VLA has been used as a location for filming numerous Hollywood sci-fi movies, including Armageddon, Contact, 2010, and Independence Day! www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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LOCATION Location. Location. Location. This farm is 50 miles south of Albuquerque via Interstate 25, less than an hour from the Albuquerque Sunport. Moreover, friendly, growing Los Lunas lies between the farm and Albuquerque. To name a few employers, Los Lunas is home to a Facebook Data Center Campus, a Walmart Distribution Center, and a University Workforce Training Center. Then 30 miles south of the farm, you find the charming town of Socorro, with its respected college, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and its 18-hole public golf course.
Mountain View Farm
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Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
Albuquerque Municipal Airport photo courtesy of Wikimedia.com
GETTING THERE From Albuquerque International Sunport, the farm is less than an hour away, south down Interstate 25.
AIRPORT SERVICES Albuquerque International Sunport is the primary international airport serving the state of New Mexico, with the farm only 50 interstate miles to the south. www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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WATER SOURCES The seller possesses related pre-1907 water rights that could be purchased with the farm sale or leased to the buyer. Alternatively, the buyer may explore other private water sources or potentially approach the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) for irrigation water. There is one domestic well on the property and one irrigation well.
MINERAL RIGHTS Assuming a full-price offer, the seller will convey 100% of their mineral rights, including the gravel deposits they are currently exploring. 16
Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
CONSERVATION | STEWARDSHIP Each of us at Fay Ranches loves the land and wants to see it remain as productive agricultural ground as well as quality fish and wildlife habitat. Through promoting the use of thoughtful land stewardship, Fay Ranches has guided owners toward a legacy of conserving wide-open spaces, enhancing and creating fisheries and wildlife habitats, and implementing sustainable agricultural operations. Fay Ranches is proud to say that since our company began in 1992, our clients’ conservation ethic and land-use practices have significantly enhanced the landscape on which we work. With many wildlife refuges and public lands along this area of the Rio Grande River, the broker believes many land trusts would welcome the opportunity to discuss and consider this property. Currently, the farm is free of any restrictions or conservation easements. www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
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Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
SUMMARY With a warming, drying trend facing the Western United States, southwestern farms and water have become a focal point from which to imagine the future. The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy’s irrigation district runs from below Cochiti Lake south of Santa Fe two-hundred miles south down to Elephant Butte Lake. This is New Mexico’s largest water delivery organization, and the subject farm sits right in the middle. Whether producing food or meeting the thirst of growing New Mexico communities, this particular farm is dramatically significant. The location is optimal regarding access via Interstate 25, Albuquerque’s Sunport Airport, and the city of Los Lunas. Los Lunas is pro-development, boasting speed-to-market capability for both commercial and residential projects! Additionally, just 30 miles south lies the charming town of Socorro. Mountain View Farm is life and lifeblood. Undoubtedly, this property is an economic driver of “the future” and whatever that looks like in arid New Mexico. This is a beautiful, timeless place and a productive agricultural operation. Possibilities are vast.
www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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PRICE $4,500,000
NOTE Seller is open to selling or leasing associated water rights to the buyer
TERMS Cash, Conventional Financing, 1031 Tax Exchange
CONTACT This is an exclusive co-listing with Fay Ranches, Inc. and Walker Ranch Sales. Please contact Robert Martin at (505) 603-9140 | rmartin@fayranches.com or Greg Walker at (720) 441-3131 | greg@sdenver. com to schedule a showing. An agent from Fay Ranches or Walker Ranch Sales must be present at all showings, unless otherwise noted or other arrangements are made. To view other properties, fly fishing properties, and sporting ranches that we have listed, please visit our web page at www.fayranches.com.
NOTICE Offer is subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, change or withdrawal without notice, and approval of purchase by owner. Information regarding land classification, carrying capacities, maps, etc., is intended only as a general guideline and has been provided by the owners and other sources deemed reliable, but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to research the information to their own satisfaction.
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Las Nutrias Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico
www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com
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ROBERT MARTIN Fay Ranches Ranch Broker Licensed in: NM, CO c. 505-603-9140 rmartin@fayranches.com
FAY RANCHES INC. (800) 238.8616 info@fayranches.com www.fayranches.com
GREG WALKER Walker Ranch Sales Ranch Broker Licensed in: NM, CO c. 720-441-3131 greg@sdenver.com