Bellinger Irrigated Farm

Description

The Bellinger Irrigated Farm is an exceptional opportunity to acquire highly sought after Columbia Basin farmland.  The Morrow County farm is 329 +/- contiguous acres consisting of seven irrigation pivots, a modest home, machine shed, and two 60’ x 100’ hay/equipment storage open-sided metal buildings.  

Located in the heart of the Columbia Basin, the center of high value crop production, the Bellinger Irrigated Farm is an opportunity to own one of the regions fastest appreciating assets.  Agriculture has been deeply rooted in the area for several generations. The Basin is widely known for being a leader in agriculture with new irrigation techniques developed long ago, particularly circle sprinklers.  Hot days, cool summer nights, well-drained soil, and good quality water are the integral factors for an ideal growing season. 

West Extension Irrigation District – 
WEID provides irrigation service to the northern portion of Morrow and Umatilla Counties.  

The primary water delivery system is through WEID and includes 261+/- acres of certificated rights.  The property includes two points of diversion (POD) from the main WEID canal.  Each (2) 50 HP pumps are metered separately.  

The District water rights pertaining to the property are primary from the Umatilla River under Certificate No. 78828 and supplemental from the Columbia River under Certificate No. 79929.  

In addition, there is a groundwater certificate issued in 1973 for 20 primary acres and 98 supplemental acres.  The groundwater is pressurized with a 25 HP pump.  

The typical irrigation season for the Umatilla Basin in March 1st to October 31st.  WEID typically starts mid-march and runs to the end of October, weather dependent.  

West Extension Irrigation District 
840 E. Highway 730, Irrigon, OR 97844
Ph.   541-922-3814

www.westextension.com 

Annual Water Cost – 2024
5N2730 0110 - 32.9 water right acres     $2,920.12
5N2730 0135 - 90.2 water right acres        $7,807.82
5N2731 0200 – 138.6 water right acres     $12,050.08

Crops – 
The farm is currently growing multi-year alfalfa hay crops as well as single season high yielding row crops.  The primary row crop in recent years has been watermelons and pumpkins.  

Crop rotations and chemical reports for the past five years are available to qualified buyers.  Seller has maintained good records including detailed data for each field.

Pivots – 
A total of 7 pivots exists on the farm.  In 2020, two new Valley pivots, model 7000, were purchased.  The remaining 5 pivots are older, however, in working / usable condition.  The remaining brands of pivots include Pringle and Pierce of various ages.   

Primary Residence - 
•    Farmhouse built in 1990.  
•    Approximately 1,620 sq. ft. 
•    3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, attached 2-car garage. 
•    Tour of residence available with 24-hours’ notice to seller.  
•    Includes domestic well and septic system.  

Power -  
Umatilla Electric Cooperative (UEC) 
750 W. Elm Ave.
Hermiston,  OR 97838
Ph.   541-567-6414
www.umatillaelectric.com 

Zoning -

•    Umatilla County has the subject property zoned Exclusive Farm Use “EFU”.  

Property Tax - 
•    Total annual property tax for 2024 was $8,072.

Transportation / Access - 
Located less than 1 mile from Hwy. 730, along the Columbia River, the Bellinger Farm sits in an ideal transportation location.  Major Interstates I-84 and I-82 interchange is nearby providing a transportation hub for commodities to be shipped in and out of the Columbia Basin.  A rail system and river barge system are also utilized in the area.  

Soils - 

The soil types on the farm are primarily made up of two separate classes of loamy fine sand soil (hezel loamy fine sand, Quincy loamy fine sand).  These soil types are well suited for most all common crops in the diverse ag region, providing adequate water volume is applied. Some of the common uses of these soil types are various crop farming, range/pasturing of native vegetation, woodland growth and supportive of strong wildlife habitat.  Please see the “soils” layer, available on the interactive map, for further breakdown on the farm’s soils.

History of West Extension Irrigation District
 
The Bailey Ditch Company was formed and filed for water rights on the Umatilla River on March 4, 1893.  In 1896, the Bailey Ditch Company went into receivership. That same year, interested citizens began talking with Reclamation Service about the idea of a Basin Project. A feasibility study for the Umatilla Basin Project was started.
The Oregon Land and Water Company (OLWC) took over the assets of the Bailey Ditch Company in 1904. The former Bailey Ditch became the OLWC canal.   The OLWC diversion was built at the two-mile point on the Umatilla River. Volunteers renovated the canal and extended it for service. Additional water rights were filed in 1906 to develop more irrigated lands in Umatilla and Irrigon and to take the water to Castle Rock (west of Boardman), as planned by the Bailey Ditch Company.
The Umatilla Basin Project was authorized in 1905, under the Reclamation Act of 1902. Individual water users entered into contracts with the federal government that provided the government would construct irrigation facilities, and that these water users would repay the construction costs. In turn, the Government took liens on these individually owned lands. Possible reservoir sites and irrigable lands were withdrawn from entry.
In 1909, Reclamation filed on 6,000 acres of water rights to be irrigated from the west end main canal, yet to be constructed.  In 1912, OLWC went into receivership. Their assets were assigned by the courts to the United States Government until a succeeding entity was formed.   OLWC water rights and assets were merged into the West End of the Umatilla Basin project.
The Three Mile Falls Dam was constructed in 1914. The new dam was built a mile upstream from the original OLWC dam.
In 1919, the West Extension Irrigation District was formed and took over the OLWC water rights and Reclamation facilities. Landowners in the district entered into a repayment contract in 1920, which was amended in 1922. In July of 1926, the district assumed operation and maintenance of the project. They hired A.C. Houghton as District Manager, a position he held until his death in 1951.
The settlers in the area faced serious financial problems, and by 1931, the district was unable to make its contract payments. Discussion began with Reclamation regarding writing off the repayment contract. The lands were reclassified under the Project Reclamation Act of 1939 and, in 1954, Congress approved the current repayment contract.
In 1962, the John Day Dam was completed.   As the water rose, thousands of acres were inundated, including 1200 irrigated acres within the West Extension Irrigation District. District and Reclamation officials worked with the Corps of Engineers and Congress to obtain compensation for the district for these inundated lands. Compensation was not received, nor was the district able to transfer the water rights onto other lands.
Also in 1962, the Three Mile Dam facility was renovated. The fish ladders were improved and a fish trap was added.
The district remained concerned about its loss of base acreage for revenue. By 1968, the matter had become serious and the district filed a water right on 3289 acres of lands to be irrigated with Umatilla River water.
The district built a pumping plant on the Umatilla River to furnish supplemental water to all lands within the district. The water from the pumping plant was to be conveyed by pipeline into the main canal.
In 1978, a wood stave pipe that delivered water to approximately 600 acres from the Relocation Lateral, under the highway and into the Irrigon area washed out. This was a devastating blow to the district, which had little financial resources for repair. After three years deliberation, the district purchased an existing pump station on the Columbia River in Irrigon and filed for water rights on the Columbia River for 1,144 acres.
Discussions and negotiations with Reclamation, Bonneville Power Administration and the local tribes had been ongoing since the early 1980’s regarding the fisheries resource in the Umatilla Basin. This culminated with the Umatilla Basin Project Act of 1988. This act was passed to allow for exchange of Columbia River water for Umatilla River water in order to enhance anadromous fish runs in the Umatilla River. Three districts, West Extension, Hermiston, and Stanfield, are involved with the project. West Extension’s portion, Phase I of the project, was completed in 1992. The Phase I exchange began in 1993.

Port of Morrow – 
Clean water, economical power, easy transportation, advanced communications, modern docks, and lots of room to grow – the Port of Morrow offers all the benefits of large metro centers without the challenges industry can face in more urban areas.
Food processors find a welcome home in the Boardman Industrial Park alongside some of the world’s best-known names in the industry: Lamb Weston's French fry plant, Oregon Potato Company's potato flake plant and Boardman Foods' onion processing plant. Tens of thousands of tons of potato and onion storage facilities are already in place. And, Port of Morrow Warehousing, a public cold storage facility, is ideally located near all major transportation modes.
Boardman Industrial Park sites are particularly suited to transportation-dependent industries. Fiber and seed processing cluster the transportation facilities. Barenbrug USA cleans and ships grass seed all over the globe. Dodge Logging's chip reload facility and Tidewater Terminal's public container and chip reload find excellent Columbia River dock sites in the Port.