Schuil & Associates, an industry-leading, family-operated ag real estate firm, today announced a cooperative relationship with New Current Water and Land, LLC – a Fresno-based firm specializing in the assessment, development, management, acquisition, and banking of water supplies throughout the Western U.S. – to counsel those interested in purchasing farmland in the San Joaquin Valley including, importantly, the fertile Westlands Water District of California.
Providing water to farms in an area of approximately 600,000 acres (2,400 km²) in Fresno County and Kings County in California’s San Joaquin Valley, the Westlands Water District is the largest agricultural water district in the United States. The recent repayment of the District’s capital obligations to the Central Valley Project has resulted in a lifting of the acreage limitation provisions of Reclamation Law which previously had restricted allowable ownership of irrigated land to 960 acres (3.9 km²). This change has made Westlands’ farmland more compelling and accessible to farmers and investors alike.
Land in the Westlands Water District contains some of the best soil in the country but historically has sold for nearly half of the cost of the Eastside of the Central Valley (which has similar soil composition) presenting a unique investment opportunity. This highly-productivity, lower-cost land also offers two sources of water – surface water and groundwater.
“It is important that those interested in purchasing farmland in California, particularly on the Central Valley’s Westside, be provided excellent counsel on water issues,” said Marc Schuil, Principal and Agent, Schuil & Associates. “With our relationship with New Current Water and Land and their decades of water experience, we are better able to help clients navigate this critically-important sector.”
Fresno-based New Current Water and Land provides multi-faceted strategic planning services to investors, farming organizations, and others seeking to develop long-range approaches to water supply, water development, and water management.
“When it comes to agriculture, water is key,” Gary Sawyers, Principal, New Current Water, and Land said. “We’re excited to work with Schuil to help counsel their clients on the nuances of water issues in Westlands and open this region to investors.”