Dodge Ranch is one of the largest remaining ranches in California, with 111 assessor’s parcels totaling
23,600 deeded acres and 224,971 acres of federal grazing allotments, spanning approximately twenty
square miles on the Madeline Plains, east of the unincorporated community of Ravendale, California.
Currently, the ranch produces organic alfalfa on approximately 3,700 irrigated acres. Fourteen quality
Nelson bubbler pivots deliver most of the water to the crop, and all but five of the pivots were installed
new within the last five years.
The holding consists of four ranches: Horn Ranch, Marr Ranch, Evans Ranch, and Dodge Ranch (the
property’s headquarters). A summary of the property’s structures includes five houses, a duplex, two
bunkhouses, a guest house, four corrals/stables, five storage shed/barn buildings, a mechanic’s shop, a
seed shop, and several additional structures dedicated to ranch operations.
The ranch is supplied with water through a system that includes over 20 wells, a series of canals,
pipelines, lift pumps, culverts, and ponds, and the rights to abundant surface water from Dodge Reservoir
and Buckhorn Reservoir.
In addition, several creeks and smaller irrigation reservoirs exist, and there is an opportunity to capture
more water from snow melt and other sources to expand cropland.
Surprise Valley Electric provides the ranch with some of the least expensive electric power in the state of
California. It delivers electricity with 19 miles of three-phase electric poles and over five miles of underground
power lines. Solar power systems serve some of the homes.
The 224,971 acres of BLM’s Observation Grazing Allotment surrounds or is adjacent to the Dodge Ranch
parcels and are leased for grazing approximately 4,452 AUMs through 2031. The BLM land includes
several naturally occurring water resources for livestock.