Food, Water and Real World Issues

When the well runs dry.

The Global warming head fake and Al Gore's inconvenient lie, cap and tax, all amount to money making schemes for someone. Our aquifers are in real trouble.

Las Vegas depends on Lake Mead, the Colorado River for its water supply. So do the other six states that are parties to the

Colorado River Pact of 1922.

California grows much of the produce you eat.

The Ogallala

has been over drafted for the last 60 years and it will not last forever. From the North Plains District,

The Ogallala Aquifer within the boundaries of the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District is declining at an average of 1.74 feet per year (1,082,631 acre ft).

Could the well run dry and if so what next?

Can they conserve and save it?

The Memphis Alluvial

along the Mississippi River is being over drafted to the extreme in places, who would have thought this part of the country would have water issues.

Washington State certainly gets plenty of rain how could they have water problems? Yet

Washington State has an aquifer in trouble.

While they argue about global warming at The Copenhagen Conference

and the politicians figure out cap and tax, our ground water,

our aquifers,

are in trouble all over the country.

Water rights in Nevada are owned as an appurtenance to the land.

If you would like to learn more about Nevada Ranch land and Nevada’s Irrigated Farm land market,

Chris W. Miller specializes in this area of the real estate business, this is a specialized Business.

Dedicated Land Professionals with the Answers You Need.

Nevada Land opportunities in Irrigated Farm and Ranch Land with Water Rights.

Land in Nevada Blog

Water Rights For Sale on Irrigated Nevada Farms and Ranch Land

1200 Acre Ranch with Live springs and Water Rights

4.5 sections, 17 Wells, 18 Pivots Irrigated Farm

2000 Acres Irrigated, 10 Wells, Nice Nevada Farm Land

266 Acres, 821 Acre Feet of Ground Water Rights, BLM Grazing Leases

These are a sampling of the types of Nevada Ranch properties available. For more information on Nevada Farm and Ranch Land Call Chris

Chris W. Miller
Vegas Grand Realty and Property Management
435-862-5951
702-990-5951

Nevada Water Rights

Land in Nevada

Nevada Ranch Properties

Lincoln County Land Market

Mesquite NV Real Estate Market

 

Judge Slaps State Engineer Over SNWA Pipeline Water Rights

The temperature just went up in Las Vegas and it may get even drier.

In a recent ruling Nevada Judge Norman Robison ruled that State Engineer Tracy Taylor “abused his discretion” and “acted arbitrarily, capriciously and oppressively”

This is big news for both sides of the proposed SNWA pipeline issue and it sounds like the Nevada Supreme Court will most likely get to hear this case.

You can read the whole story at Las Vegas Review Journal and The Ely Times.

If you not planning to build a pipeline and would like to find a nice Nevada Farm or Cattle Ranch with water rights, we have few listed for sale. If you have one you are considering selling, Talk to Chris before listing it another broker, he knows his stuff.

Land in Nevada with Water Rights is listed and available today.

Chris W. Miller is a Nevada Farm and Ranch with Water Rights Specialist
at ERA Brokers Consolidated Mesquite, Nevada

702-346-7200 or 435-862-5951
ERA Brokers Consolidated
Mesquite NV 89027

Mesquite Market

chris@mesquitemarket.com

Lincoln County Land Market

Nevada Ranch Properties

City Of Mesquite Purchases Land Without Appraisal

City of Mesquite Recently Purchased Land for New Library

Mesquite Nevada Commercial Real Estate Market, information every investor should know.

The City of Mesquite just closed on a prime parcel of land on Mesquite Blvd to build a new library. The City of Mesquite could use a nice new shiny library with all the bells and whistles.

They paid $1,717,000 for 3.22 acres, that is 140,263 square feet or $12.24 per square foot. So much for the $20 a foot the market has been asking for years for Mesquite Blvd frontage. Reports are no appraisal was required by the buyer, the City of Mesquite.

Who spends nearly two million tax dollars without the benefit of a professional opinion of value? I am surprised The City of Mesquite can even do that legally.

The is one more commercial land sale to report in the past twelve months through MLS. It was a quarter acre sold for $92,500 or $8.85 a square foot, located on Hafen just south of the Maverik the gas station. This sale was nice street frontage and would have been used as a comparable in my opinion.

Not only are the City of Mesquite elected officials out of control, so is the city manager.

What the heck, it is just our tax dollars they are spending anyway, RIGHT?

Chris W. Miller
Vegas Grand Realty and Property Management
435-862-5951
702-990-5951

Nevada Water Rights

Land in Nevada

Nevada Ranch Properties

Lincoln County Land Market

Mesquite NV Real Estate Market

Water Rights Sale Inked

Recent water rights sale transactions in Nevada includes 35 shares of Virgin River surface water. There are about 10 acre feet per share under the Virgin River Share arrangement in the Mesquite and Bunkerville irrigation system.

"In 1961 water shares in the valley were worth $14 per share and you were a damn fool to buy them" stated Cecil Leavitt, a Virgin Valley board director. He went on to say "Today they are worth more than the land".

The final sale price for the 35 shares was $2,801,968 or about $80,056 per share. That translates to over $8000 per acre foot for surface water rights.

The surface water is not currently used by the buyer of the rights, Virgin Valley Water District as drinking water. Construction of a water treatment plant to purify the water will be required for the local rate payers to see any beneficial use from the purchase.

There are few reasons the district would go ahead with the purchase now, except the fact that if they did not buy the shares now, Southern Nevada Water Authority might. Once they are owned and headed to Las Vegas they would never be available in the Virgin River Valley again.

This story will play out across Nevada over and over in the next few years. Basins are being closed to additional allocations, additional permits are being denied. What currently exists will only increase in value. Demand continues to grow from domestic growth to agricultural needs and uses.

Funny to hear "you would have to have been a damn fool to pay $14 a share in 1961, and it just sold for over $80,000 ".

While few had the foresight then, the future of water rights in Nevada seems very clear today. What do you think they will be saying in another twenty years?

Chris W. Miller is a Nevada Irrigated farm and ranch land specialist; most of his currently listed properties have water rights. Call Chris today for more information.
Ref:Mesquite Local News Oct. 22, 2009


Chris W. Miller

ERA Brokers Consolidated
Mesquite NV 89027
702- 346-7200
435-862-5951

Mesquite Market

chris@mesquitemarket.com

Lincoln County Land Market

Nevada Ranch Properties

Land, Food, Agriculture, and Water Rights in Nevada

Fortune magazine, June 22, 2009 issue has a good article on “Why Farm Land is Hot”. Why ETF’s are investing today for the long haul on the food and water shortages in our future. From 1960 to 2000 the world went from over one acre of arable land per person to just over a half acre of arable land per person.

Growing populations and the shrinking supply of arable land will be a key focus of humanity as millions starve in the not too distant future. Water in many locations is the key to food production.

Water rights in Nevada are our most valuable resource. Irrigated agricultural land is available and the prices are increasing. Many basins in Nevada are closed to any future additional water rights; the supply side is very limited and will not increase. While demand continues to grow, with or without future housing developments.

We have cattle ranches with live springs filling stock tanks to water the cattle, and the ranch owns those water rights. We have sections of land with irrigation pivots watering grains like wheat and barley, as well as potatoes, and alfalfa. These irrigation pivots are fed from wells on the land and the farmers own those water rights.

Many farmers are willing to pay handsome lease payments to farm this ground, offering good rates of return to investors. You can own a half full strip mall with falling rents and potential future higher vacancy rates, or farm land with water rights.

If you have the means and are still not sure of the future demand, check out what the executives from some the nation’s largest agricultural companies have to say about the future demand.

Chris W. Miller
Vegas Grand Realty and Property Management
435-862-5951
702-990-5951

Nevada Water Rights

Land in Nevada

Nevada Ranch Properties

Lincoln County Land Market

Mesquite NV Real Estate Market

Investing in Nevada Irrigated Farm and Ranch Land with Water Rights

When most people think of farm land and ranch property, they think open ranges, hay fields, cattle and cowboys riding horses.

Wall Street seems like a far off place in another world. A fast paced place driven by profit and greed.

It seems the classic contradiction, slower paced, straight talking, down to earth folks making their living off the land verses the Bernie Madoff and George Soros types.

Truth is, the story I am about to tell you just may be a little sad, because Wall Street is buying up the farm. Over the past few years investment power houses like BlackRock, and retirement plan giants like TIAA-CREF has been plowing money into farmland. In Nevada farm land generally means land with water rights, due to the arid climate.

These are smart people who are motivated by money and profit.

Here is the deal; the fundamentals are in place for a long term boom in prices for everything AG-related. Consider this; in 1960 there were 1.1 acres of arable farmland per person globally, according to data from the United Nations. By 2000 that number had fallen to .6 acres. Over the next 40 years the world population is projected to grow from 6 billion to 9 billion.

According to Joachim von Braun, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, “Land is scarce and will become scarcer as the world has to double food output to satisfy increased demand by 2050”. “With limited land and water resources, this will automatically lead to increased valuations of productive land.” Von Braun goes on to say, “It goes hand in hand with water, Water scarcity will probably increase even more than land.”
Water in Nevada is today in short supply and clearly demand will outpace supply as they continue to close basins to new permits. Water rights in Nevada have another issue facing the dwindling supply, the demographic shift of the baby boomers to the more tax favorable warmer climate. Choices, decisions, are being made today, do we use the water for agriculture and food production, or do we pipe to Las Vegas for culinary use.

Farmers and cattle ranchers want to stay in the business, but millions of dollars waved under their noses make it tough to say no to the sale. Many will stay on and lease to continue to live the lifestyle they love. These lease payments are cash flow on the investments. Could it be a win-win situation?

Commodities guru Jim Rogers says, “I’m convinced that farmland is going to be one of the best investments of our time.”

Meanwhile, B.L. Harris, acting director of the Texas Water Resource Institute, knows well the problems of the Ogallala system. “The one big issue with regard to the Ogallala is the fact that the annual recharge is much, much lower than the extraction rate that we are putting on the aquifer at the present time. The aquifer is over-drafted to a substantial extent.” The Ogallala is one of the world’s largest aquifers covering 174,000 square miles; it runs from South Dakota to Texas. Some estimates say it will dry up in as little as 25 years.
Farmers are smart and they talk, they may wear overalls and talk funny, but farming is older than Wall Street.

Water and food are the sources of life for the planet, demand is guaranteed to grow. There are few guarantees on Wall Street. Farming is a difficult business, but it is a fine tuned machine, executed properly it is a huge profit opportunity.

Chris W. Miller is Nevada irrigated farm and ranch land specialist with ERA Brokers Consolidated. Chris has Nevada farms as small as 266 acres with ground water rights, to Nevada cattle ranches with large BLM rangeland leases, listed and available for sale. For information about Nevada farm and ranch land with water rights call

Chris W. Miller
Vegas Grand Realty and Property Management
435-862-5951
702-990-5951

Nevada Water Rights

Land in Nevada

Nevada Ranch Properties

Lincoln County Land Market

Mesquite NV Real Estate Market