LOCATION: Twenty-four miles north of Lakeview Oregon, a town of approximately 2800. Lakeview is 90 miles east of Klamath Falls, 240 miles north of Reno Nevada, 320 miles southwest of Boise Idaho and 170 miles southeast of Bend Oregon. The town is known for its friendly people and easygoing lifestyle. There is adequate shopping for groceries, hardware, clothing, building supplies, etc. Or, for a larger selection, Klamath Falls is only a short hour and 40 minutes away. Klamath Falls, with a population of 50,000, has several large grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Fred Myer, Big R, Diamond and Home Depot. Lake District Hospital, in Lakeview, is a modern medical facility with doctors offices, acute care facility and a long term care unit. It features a heliport in case someone needs to be flown out for specialized treatment.

CLIMATE: This part of Oregon has a four seasons climate and is much dryer and far less humid than the part of the state west of the Cascade Mountains. The climate at the ranch is somewhat milder than it is in Lakeview, which is 500 feet higher in elevation. Normally there is 300 plus days of sunshine. Average precipitation is 14 to 16 inches. Growing season is about 105 days.

TOPOGRAPHY: The deeded portion of the ranch is mostly level with some rolling terrain along the south and west. The irrigated meadows have a gentle slope to the east, which makes them a breeze to irrigate. Elevation at the ranch headquarters is 4300 feet. The dam at the reservoir site is at 4600 feet.

LAND: The ranch consists of over 5,216 deeded acres containing 1,600 acres of irrigated meadows; 2,400 acres of tillable ground now in sage, native pasture and Crested Wheatgrass; 500 acres of range and reservoir site and approximately 100 acres of home sites, corrals, barn, shop, ditches, canals, streams, etc. Virtually all the tillable ground is capable of growing alfalfa. There is also an additional 5,000 acres of private land leased annually for spring grazing. This land was owned by the ranch until recently purchased by individuals for hunting. Buyers of the ranch would need to negotiate for this lease separately. The ranch also has a BLM permit for spring turnout.

WATER: Adjudicated water rights for over 1,600 acres from Crooked Creek, Juniper Creek and Willow Creek have priority dates of 1873 and 1890. The Chewaucan River crosses the northeast corner of the ranch.

WILDLIFE: Wildlife is abundant and includes Pronghorn Antelope, Mule deer and an occasional Bighorn Sheep as well as multitudes of waterfowl and other species of birds and birds of prey. Hunting opportunities are good for both Antelope and Deer and the ranch qualifies for 5 LOP tags for both. Duck and goose hunting is also very good.

IMPROVEMENTS: There are two homes. The main house has 1767 square feet plus a full basement. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, custom oak cabinets, large family/living room, formal dining, patio, deck, above ground pool, hot tub and double garage. An automatic underground sprinkler system irrigates the lawn. The second home is a 1980 Fuqua double wide manufactured home on a full foundation with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 2 decks. It too has a double garage. The very large barn is in good condition considering it was built around the late 1880’s and is still in use although it could definitely use a new roof. The old original ranch house, built about the same time, is still standing. It is currently used for storage. There is a 40 x 80 shop with a bathroom. The corrals are designed to handle large numbers of cattle efficiently and with minimum manpower. It features a 32,000 pound scale, hydraulic squeeze (indoors and on a cement floor), loading chute and loading alley for goose neck trailers. There are two 58 x 144 all steel hay barns. All the improvements, including the perimeter and cross fencing, is in excellent condition. You have to see this ranch to believe how well maintained it is!

OPERATION: The ranch has traditionally been operated as a cow/calf operation. Owner runs 500 to 550 mother cows year round. He calves in early summer and carries the calves over to the following April. He has been running 500, 1400 pound cows, plus replacements, and selling some hay annually. However, current numbers are down due to heavy culling and stands at 470 cow/calf pair, 49 bred heifers and 21 bulls. The cattle will be available to the new owner at market price.

TAXES: There are 19 tax lots and the property tax for this past year was $9,000.

SUMMARY: This ranch is a very efficient and well maintained operation. All improvements are in excellent condition and the grounds are very clean and free of trash and debris. It serves the owners well and they are content to run it the way it is. However, there is significant opportunity to greatly increase the productivity, and thus the value of this ranch. With another 2,200 acres of good farmland not presently under irrigation, it seems reasonable to assume that one could do that by investing in irrigation wells and equipment. There is a well less than one half mile from this ranch that is 545 feet deep and produces 2100 gallons per minute with a static level of less than ten feet. It irrigates several alfalfa fields that produce very high quality hay. Also, there was a reservoir on Juniper Creek that backed water up for a mile and held 1000 acre feet of water. There is a natural spillway to the west of the old dam, but the earthen dam, not being engineered, was not high enough and consequently washed out during a wet year. It was never rebuilt, but most likely could be. This would have to be approved by the Oregon Water Resources Department. It is estimated there could be up to 8 pivots on the Valley Falls Ranch.

This is not a forced sale. The ranch is free and clear. It makes a good living for the present third generation owners, but none of their kids are interested in the ranch and they would like to move on to something else while they are still young. Since it is a family corporation, the brothers feel the only way to accomplish their goals is to sell.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone to step into a ranch that is already a "going concern" but still has great investment potential.

VEGETATION: Various types of native grasses mingled with sage, bitterbrush, and juniper with dozens of native meadows and seeps. Large groves of wild plum bushes are found throughout the property and in one spot, there stand several mature plum trees that are up to 25 feet tall. As one moves into the northwest corner, you begin to encounter scattered pine trees, and then a nice stand of Ponderosa Pine.

LAND: The irrigated and sub-irrigated bottom land is primarily suited to grasses for grazing,  but there is adequate water to produce a hay crop if desired. Hundreds of acres of the rangeland could be suitable for non-irrigated domestic grasses and legumes after first clearing the sage. In fact, the neighboring property to the south has been cleared and is growing a fine stand of grass. With a little effort, many acres could be improved to substantially increase the grazing and wildlife potential. The ridges and steeper slopes contain native grasses, plum bushes, bitterbrush and scattered trees. The northwest corner with its pine forest is most valuable for its aesthetics and timber potential.

WATER: Approximately 90 acres are irrigated and sub-irrigated with free water from Thomas Creek. An irrigation canal traverses the property separating the bottom ground from the hill ground. Several existing ponds, some needing repairs, fed by seasonal streams could be further developed to better retain water. There are some springs that could possibly be developed, and of course the possibility exists to drill wells for the benefit of livestock and wildlife.

WILDLIFE:Terrain and vegetation on this property is especially attractive to Mule Deer and it provides some of the best buck hunting anywhere around. The present owner allows a small group of family and friends to hunt on the property for 3 point or bigger bucks only. They consistently take 3 to 4 nice bucks each year. Other wildlife species include ducks, quail, cats, some Pronghorn Antelope, small mammals, coyotes, various song birds and birds of prey.

GRAZING: Present owners graze up to 350 pair for 1 to 2 months in the spring and then go on to their national forest grazing permit. This permit is for 350 head and is included in the purchase prize. The forest permit is adjacent to a 1500 acre lease which is extremely convenient for fall gathering and extends the grazing season for an additional 1 to 2 months. This lease will most likely be available to the new owners as well.