BRITAIN'S BP has been announced as the new owner of big Mullewa cropping operation, Daisy Downs.
As reported by Farm Weekly earlier this month, the property - 120 kilometres from Geraldton - was settled by Simon Wilding, principal of Ray White Rural WA.
It has now been revealed BP company Low Carbon Australia paid $23 million to buy Daisy Downs, owned by WA agrifood company PenAgri.
The 27,568-hectare property is north of Mullewa and about 100 kilometres north-east of Geraldton.
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Daisy Downs has mostly strong red loams soils with high crop yielding capacity and some high quality yellow sandplain country.
The non-cropable areas are suitable for a livestock enterprise or a carbon opportunity.
There are opportunities to expand the cropping enterprise.
It is understood BP plans to continue to lease much of the land for cropping by neighboring farmers, as well as develop 10 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity across 100ha.
It has plans for wind turbines and a solar farm, but also wants to convert that energy to hydrogen and ammonia for export.
Non-arable areas of the farm will be considered for carbon credits.
Mr Wilding said during the marketing campaign, there were expressions of interest for Daisy Downs from two major players in the carbon and renewable energy sectors and several large-scale cropping enterprises.
"There was strong competition to secure the property," Mr Wilding said.
He said the price achieved for Daisy Downs was a record for the area.
"The cropping program on Daisy Downs, which has yielded exceptional results in the past two years, could be expanded by the new owner," he said.
Improvements include a workshop, fertiliser sheds, a general purpose shed, storage and chemical sheds plus many silos.
It also has a five-bedroom home near an airstrip and hangar.
Mr Wilding said strong demand for large and small scale properties was continuing across WA and his company had clients wanting to expand and enter into the agricultural sector.
"Ray White Rural WA is actively seeking properties throughout the State, including pastoral leases, to satisfy the buying interest we have and would be very happy to discuss all options on a confidential basis to potential sellers," he said.
