2 Larimer County farms sell for combined $15.3M

LOVELAND —  In the span of three weeks, two large farms with water rights in Larimer County have been purchased, and the new owners plan to continue farming the land.

John J. Van Hattem has acquired the 365-acre Evans Ranch on the south edge of Loveland, and Larimer County purchased the 211-acre Malchow Farm southwest of Berthoud.

Van Hattem bought the Evans Ranch last month from the Young Family trusts for $6.9 million, according to public records.

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Van Hattem used the entity De Vries Properties LLC to buy the farm at 3154 S. County Road 11 from the Wayne Young and Elizabeth J. Young trusts, based in Annadale, Va.

Van Hattem, who owns the Dos Picos dairy farm in Berthoud, said on Thursday he plans to farm the irrigated land and continue to operate the dairy farm in Berthoud.

The sale included water rights that consist of 25 shares through the Consolidated Home Supply Ditch and Reservoir Co., six shares through the Handy Ditch Co., and 100 units through the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

Last week, Larimer County closed on the purchase of the 211-acre Malchow Farm at 1325 S. U.S. Highway 287 southwest of Berthoud from Margaret Malchow Sass in Denver for $8.4 million.

According to public documents, the county’s Open Lands Program had been under contract with the Malchow family to purchase their farm since September 2015, and county commissioners approved the sale in March.

The purchase included 240 units of Colorado-Big Thompson water, 20 shares of Dry-Creek Lateral Ditch water and 16 shares of Handy Ditch water.

The county plans to lease out the land for irrigated farming to help preserve the county’s agricultural heritage, and it will use a portion of the water for municipalities during times of drought.