OFF THE MARKET: Mountain View Farm | Fay Ranches

M OU N T AI N VI EW FAR M Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico $12,000,000 | 320± Acres

Mountain View Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico

INTRODUCTION Distant gentle mountains surround Las Nutrias - the little historic community whose southern edge just touches Mountain View 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, with water rights recognized as pre-1907, the oldest designation New Mexico’s State Engineer identifies. In the desert southwest, water is life, and this is the good stuff. Note: Seller Sold Some Water! Block of water associated with offering and price now 333 annual consumptive acre-feet!

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 Vequita, leases the farm for $80,000 a year. Planted in Sorghum Sudangrass, the crop is utilized by the dairy that is milking four-thousand cows. The dairy farmer told the broker that the farm’s water right is interesting to him because it could also be extracted from wells if desired, not just delivered from MRGCD ditches, which could be very advantageous. The seller is 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 333± consumptive acre-feet of pre-1907 water rights Great location south of Albuquerque, between Los Lunas and Socorro Teeming with wildlife! Numerous wildlife refuges in the immediate area Bird watching/hunting opportunities include ducks, geese, turkey, pheasant, snow geese, and sandhill crane The farm gets tags for depredation elk hunts in adjoining Rio Grande Bosque Long growing season, mild climate, elevation 4,750± feet Farm is leased to a dairy that grows silage crops to feed 4,000 cows Pretty setting with 360-degree mountain views Seller willing to sell farm and water separately Mineral rights and gravel deposits The seller is looking into the process of restoring an old irrigation well on the farm

Mountain View 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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Mountain View 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.

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Mountain View 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 the property, which the seller is looking into restoring.

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Mountain View 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.

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Mountain View 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. Water could be leased or sold. 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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Mountain View 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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Mountain View 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 | WATER RIGHTS An exceptional block of water rights complements the farm. The State Engineer’s Office issued a declaration on September 24, 2020, recognizing pre-1907 rights in the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (Declaration SD - 03575 – Amended). This offering includes 333± consumptive acre-feet of the declaration. The dairyman leasing the farm suggested the water might also be extracted via wells rather than MRGCD ditches. Moreover, this water could possibly be moved to entities like Santa Fe County or the cities of Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, or Los Lunas, for example.

The seller reserves the right to sell various amounts of water and adjust this offering at any time. The seller will sell the farmland without water rights for $4,500,000.

There is one domestic well on the property and one irrigation well. The seller is looking into the process of restoring an old irrigation well on the farm.

MINERAL RIGHTS Assuming a full-price offer, the seller will convey 100% of their mineral rights, including the gravel deposits they are currently exploring.

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Mountain View 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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Mountain View Farm | Las Nutrias, Socorro County, New Mexico

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Mountain View 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. Moreover, Mountain View’s 320± acres are complemented by the best water rights New Mexico has to offer. Three hundred thirty-three± consumptive acre-feet of pre-1907 water is a very important resource to consider. 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. A beautiful, timeless place; a productive agricultural operation; and a rich water bank of opportunity – that is the essence of this offering.

www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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PRICE $12,000,000

NOTE Farmland without water rights is offered at $4,500,000

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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Mountain View 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