Unique South Dakota Legacy Farm Lists for $172 Million
Visionary Irrigation System Sustains Thousands of Acres
PIERRE, S.D., July 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While water scarcity continues to challenge many of America’s farmers, particularly in the west, one South Dakota legacy farm has been able to avoid that issue for roughly 60 years. That farm, one which could never be replicated today, is now up for sale.
Spanning nearly 16,500 contiguous acres just north of Pierre, JES Farms represents the bold vision of Harvey Sheehan, the man who built the unique property in the late 1960s. Drawing water from the Lake Oahe reservoir and its Missouri River source via an advanced irrigation system, the farm features a creative construct of canals, drainage, pivots and Roman aqueduct-style siphons. Given current regulations and time constraints, among other issues, it’s unlikely such infrastructure could ever be built again.
Thirteen miles of gravity-fed canal (with a 125-foot elevation drop) and extensive underground piping guide water to where it’s needed. Eighty-four center pivots sweep across fields of corn, wheat and soybeans planted in highly productive silty loam soils perfect for row crops. Also included in the planned sale of the family-owned JES Farms are a two million-bushel grain storage and handling facility, multiple other equipment/storage buildings and 10 buildings for workforce housing.
“The Sheehan family saw a diamond on the prairie with what would become JES,” said Nick Zerr with United Country Real Estate | AgTeam Land Brokers. “Simply put, water is life. This farm has used technology to the fullest, managing every drop to benefit the land. Even more impressive is the fact that JES Farms has a permit to pump 76,000 gallons of water per minute from the reservoir … and the property is only using half the allocated water.”
A Vision Decades in the Making
Zerr and fellow real estate professional Richard Dawson are handling the JES Farms sale as listing agents with United Country | Ag Team Land Brokers (offices in Spearfish and Sturgis, S.D.; Lexington, Neb.; and Gove, Kan.). The agents secured the listing after highlighting the superior marketing reach of United Country’s 100-year-old national franchise and its focus on lifestyle and rural real estate, including a major emphasis on land sales.
Now JES Farms represents what for United Country could be one of the largest dollar-value listings, currently priced at $172 million, in franchise history. But back in the late ‘60s, experienced rancher Harvey Sheehan had other plans. He was in his fourth year of drought as a dryland wheat farmer. While hunting coyotes in his Super Cub single-engine airplane, Sheehan came across part of the land he would eventually own.
“I was amazed at the lay of the land,” he said. “I wondered how it would feel to be able to irrigate land instead of farming in a drought. I figured out (who owned it) and called the owner in Sioux City, Iowa.”
Sheehan then sold his family's ranch, moved across Lake Oahe and spent decades assembling JES’ original irrigation system. Today, JES Farms offers a lot more than just that unique set-up. The property backgrounds cattle and brings in additional revenue through an upland game and goose hunting lease. It’s also only 15-20 miles from the local airport, hospital, schools, livestock auction, grain outlets and other important spots. And then there’s the proximity to Lake Oahe, the fourth-largest reservoir in the U.S. and a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
One Property, Numerous Possibilities
Turn-key, profitable and one-of-a-kind, JES Farms could continue its typical operations under a new owner. But Zerr and Dawson have also floated other ideas for the land’s potential use, including a mega-dairy or a data center, both of which would benefit from such a massive water source.
Sheehan upgraded the pipes, pumps, pivots and electrical for his innovative irrigation system in 2017, and even with the property’s asking price of $172 million, the farm’s true worth if optimally managed would be an estimated $185-200 million on production alone. And since irrigated land in the area trades as high as $15,000 per acre, a new owner could profit by breaking the land into parcels.
Furthermore, on the far northwest corner of JES Farms is a tract known as “The Peninsula,” which extends into Lake Oahe with 360-degree views. Surveyed and plat mapped for a subdivision development, the tract could be adjusted for size, split and sold separately from the farm.
“From the moment we first stepped foot on his property, Sheehan’s vision was apparent,” Dawson said. “It’s easy to understand why he was so inspired by this land. He took a major risk that paid off in abundance given the clear success and scale of JES Farms.”
About United Country Real Estate
United Country Real Estate (at UnitedCountry.com) is the leading, fully integrated network of conventional and auction real estate professionals specializing in lifestyle and rural real estate. The company has been an innovator in real estate marketing since 1925, with a unique, comprehensive advertising program. This exclusive program includes the highest-ranked and largest portfolios of specialty lifestyle property marketing websites, unequaled national print advertising, the largest internal real estate advertising agency, an extensive database of more than 1 million opt-in buyers, and other proprietary programs to advertise properties more broadly.
Ryan Kane United Country Real Estate 816-420-6200 pr@unitedcountry.com
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