Agriculture's baker's dozen: Farm businesses well worth the investment

Driven by the long term appreciation of agricultural land and particularly renewed confidence in the beef industry following lifts in returns and much improved seasonal conditions, buyers are out in force for suitable assets.

Here are 13 rural properties from across Australia well worth running the financial ruler over.

Exclusion fenced Queensland/NSW district property Widgewa is a substantially improved beef production powerhouse, underpinned by both irrigated and dryland cropping.

Located 72km north of Goondiwindi, the 4922 hectare (12,163 acre) property has undergone a major capital works program under the ownership of the Butler family.

The estimated carrying capacity is 1700 adult cattle equivalents, with Widgewa historically running 500 cows plus progeny through to feedlot entry weights.

There are two 44ha irrigation areas backed by a 1200 megalitre overland flow catchment/storage dam as well as a bore, 13 dams, and an 8km frontage to the seasonal Weir River.

The 7473ha (18,466 acre) Minna Billa aggregation at Goondiwindi is estimated to carry 3500 to 4000 adult cattle equivalents in most seasons.

Offered by Fred and Rita Giltrow, the exclusion fenced aggregation is located 75km north of Goondiwindi and adjoins Widgewa.

Pastures are predominantly brigalow melon hole type country that has been selectively cleared, leaving considered shade lines.

About 485ha (1200 acres) is currently used to grow forage crops.

Offers to purchase close with Adcock Partners Property & Livestock on May 24.

Western Queensland's 30,400ha (75,120 acre) Hereward and Bude aggregation is ideally suited as a breeding, backgrounding or fattening operation.

Located 66km north west of Longreach with double frontage to the Landsborough Highway, the aggregation has been running more than 4000 mixed cattle.

Hereward is a 21,016ha (51,930 acre) grazing homestead perpetual lease, while Bude is 9385ha (23,191 acres) of freehold country.

Both properties feature open downs country growing Mitchell, Flinders, and buffel grasses and an abundance of herbages in season.

Bude also benefits from flood out channels from the Darr River and Ten Mile Creek.

The four bedroom, two bathroom Hereward homestead has been almost fully renovated. There is also a two bedroom cottage.

Bude's three bedroom, two bathroom homestead has also been renovated internally and set in an established garden.

Improvements across the aggregation include cattle yards, shearing sheds, sheep yards, cattle yards, machinery sheds, hay sheds, workshops, and a floodlit horse arena.

Expressions of interest close on May 9.

Sinclair Hill is set to sell the last of his Queensland properties with the listing of the exclusion fenced 40,236ha (99,425 acre) Boanbirra aggregation.

The veteran grazier has listed his three property aggregation located 55km south west of Bollon in South West Queensland comprising of Boanbirra, Fernlee and Donna Downs.

The now 89 year old Mr Hill said the introduction of exclusion fencing, capped bore water and Dorper sheep has revolutionised grazing in western areas.

The aggregation is also being offered with the option to buy 10,000 Dorper ewes, existing plant and machinery and commercial quantities of feral goats.

The aggregation was developed from a cattle breeding and fattening enterprise into a large Dorper prime lamb business.

The aggregation previously ran 2000 breeder cows.

Agistment cattle are still run on a portion of the property.

Expressions of interest close on May 8.

Redbank is a 2210ha (5460 acre) holistically managed tablelands property that is on the market for $12 million.

Offered by Adrian and Elisbeth Betts, the asking price is equal to about $5430/ha ($2200/acre).

The property located on the Warkton Plateau 28km south of Coonabarabran features primarily chocolate and red basalt soils and has 552ha (1365 acres) of arable country and 167ha (415 acres) of timber.

Redbank is divided into 100 cells averaging about 20ha (50 acres) from an original base of about 20 paddocks and is currently running 6000 sheep and 500 adult cattle with followers.

Glenmorgan is 1119 hectares (2765 acres) of NSW New England grazing country that has been meticulously developed to optimise beef production.

The outstanding 20,000 DSE property is located at Llangothlin, about 11km north of Guyra, and is being offered by noted Angus seedstock producers, the Morgan family.

Glenmorgan features extensive pasture development, excellent infrastructure, and first-class livestock handling facilities.

High performance pastures comprise of a multi-species mix of fescue, phalaris, cocksfoot, brome and prairie grasses plus plantain, chickory and clovers.

The main double bugle design cattle yards are under a 49x45m shed designed to minimise noise and maximise air flow.

The circa 1903 Glenmorgan homestead features a striking feature is the stone wall entrance, pathways and a large, all weather outdoor entertainment area.

Glencoe is 3236ha (7966 acre) NSW South West Slopes property featuring a central valley with creek flats running to rolling hills and an estimated carrying capacity of 18,000 dry sheep equivalents.

Located in the Taylors Flat district about 50km north east of Boorowa and 80km south east of Cowra, the very well improved, low cost production grazing property is set up for both sheep and cattle.

Glencoe is being offered by the Simons family, with the country bought by former Woolworths chief executive Paul Simons in 2020.

The property is being offered on a bare or on a walk in, walk out basis.

Glencoe is being sold through an expressions of interest process that closes with Elders on May 15.

Maybrook is a 310ha (765 acre) property with an enviable reputation for its productive capacity underpinned by its water security.

Located in the highly regarded Ponto area on the River Road 12km from Geurie, the property is also 35km from Dubbo and about 12km from Wellington.

Maybrook enjoys a gentle slope and features rich, fertile alluvial soils and has a stunning 6km frontage to the Macquarie River.

The production powerhouse is underpinned by its irrigation capability with three centre pivots watering 34ha, 16ha and 21ha.

In addition, there is a 16ha and 15ha field that can be irrigated using the towable pivot irrigators.

An impressive 646 megalitres of Upper Macquarie ground water aquifer water is included in the sale.

The property is 95 per cent arable.

Maybrook will be auctioned by Elders in Dubbo on May 17.

Moora Citrus, the largest producer of citrus in Western Australia, is on the market with price expectations in the range of $25-$30 million range.

Located about 200km north of Perth on some of the state's better known cropping country, Moora Citrus became a runaway success with contracts to the big WA supermarkets who had been forced to import most of their citrus fruit from others states and overseas.

The offering includes 170,000 citrus trees across 213ha (526 acres) backed by a 2600 megalitre ground water licence.

There is also the modern 6934 square metre Northern Valley Packers at Bindoon, about 70km north east of Perth, which has the ability to process 20,000 tonnes of oranges, mandarins and lemons a year for local and export markets.

The sale also includes a long-term lease right to 91ha near Gingin with sheds and cool rooms.

The 91ha Sandgroper Fruits Orchard has sheds and cold rooms and includes 66ha of citrus and small plantings of stone fruit and figs. The orchard has rights to more than 800ML of ground water.

Expressions of interest close on May 30.

The Northern Territory's multi-title Silkwood aggregation covers 35,766ha (88,380 acres) and is being presented as having the potential for a wide range of uses.

Located 110km south of Darwin, the aggregation comprises of Adelaide River Downs, Spitfire Creek and The Grand Plateau.

Potential opportunities include tourism, livestock, agriculture, carbon offset initiatives, conservation and subdivision.

Adelaide River Downs is a 28,897ha (71,406 acre) crown lease in perpetuity, well placed as cattle trading depot servicing the live export market or for ecotourism.

Spitfire Creek is a substantial 1299ha (3210 acre) freehold parcel located 1km from the Adelaide River township. The property also has savannah grass and woodland and is positioned as a potential live export depot.

The Grand Plateau is a 5570ha (13,764 acre) freehold parcel, which has previously obtained approval for a 30 lot subdivision.

Price expectations are the Silkwood aggregation will make more than $18 million, with the Adelaide River Downs property to make more than $8m, Spitfire Creek more than $4m, and The Grand Plateau more than $6m.

Expressions of interest close on May 21.

After about 150 years of ownership, the Allan family is selling their high production dairy farm in the Ovens Valley near Wangaratta.

For four generations the Allan's have worked to improve their Deloraine Dairy Farm at Milawa.

Their prized farm in three freehold titles takes in 135ha (334 acres) of prime floodplain land along the Ovens River valley.

Renowned for its productivity, Deloraine Dairy Farm has the capacity to milk up to 290 dairy cows, with current operations involving 190 cows.

The farm is located near Milawa and about 20km south east of Wangaratta.

Deloraine has a 286ML extraction licence licences as well as access to Teagarden Creek.

Expressions of interest close on May 9.

A price of $4.5 million has been suggested for a remaining piece of an historic grazing property in the Western District near Coleraine.

Calton Hill is a pivotal location in the pioneering history of Victoria and the wool industry and is on the market across its remaining 289ha (715 acres) 13km north-east of Coleraine.

Calton Hill was once owned by James Ferrier (1810-84), who also owned the nearby Winninburn (Tahara) run.

James and brother David Ferrier are credited by most for inventing the lever-action 'Ferrier wool press' in 1866 said to have revolutionised large-scale wool handling in Australia, New Zealand and Africa with bales adopted for the transport of wool.

As one of the first choice pieces of Victoria to settled, Calton Hill is said to still be an outstanding grazing property and consists of a well-managed parcel of country located in the highly regarded Gritjurk area.

Located 38km north west of Hamilton, the farm is fenced into 34 paddocks and is currently running 166 breeders plus calves and 850 crossbred ewes plus lambs.

The centrepiece of the property is the five-bedroom Calton Hill homestead built in 1864.

A price of $3500/acre has been suggested for two blocks of farm land at Mount Bryan, north of Burra, in South Australia's mid north.

The larger of blocks, Beckwiths, has a price tag of $1.3 million.

Beckwiths takes in 151ha (373 acres) which takes the price to $3500/acre.

The second block, Richards, is 104ha (257 acres), and now had a price of $900,000 for the same per acre price of $3500.

The properties are located next to Barrier Highway between Mount Bryan and Hallett.

The mostly arable country has fertile soils suited to a range of uses including broadacre cropping, hay production and livestock.

Offers have been invited for the farmland as a whole across 255ha (630 acres) or as two non-contingent lots.