SALES and listings in Western Australia have showed no signs of slowing in recent months, with further expansion from Excel Farms, the sale of Shooters Hill, and Shiloh Farms on the market via a staged sale.
Shiloh Farms
A neighbour has paid $10 million for a portion of a substantial mixed-farming opportunity on WA’s south coast expected to achieve $62M.
Aggregated by David and Sally Cox and family over 30 years, the 5006ha Shiloh Farms is located near Neridup, 40km north-east of Esperance, and comprises seven contiguous holdings.
AWN Real Estate agent Rowan Spittle said six lots are being offered to the market via a staged sale, with one property available for lease.
A local farmer has secured the 741ha Lot 111 for $10M in the current Stage One process, with Lot 116 (850ha) listed for $12M and Lot 112 (739ha) available for lease.
Stage Two, which is coming soon, consists of Lot 127 (913ha) for $12M and Lot 134 (890ha) for $10M.
Stage Three will offer Lot 135 (799ha) for $8.4M and Lot 136 (813ha) for $9.6M once the other holdings have been sold.
The paddocks on Shiloh Farms are large and easy working, with sandy duplex soils, typically 30-50cm of sand over gravel/clay, with some areas of deeper sands planted to cattle fodder.
Mr Spittle said rarely does a property of this scale, in such a tightly held high-rainfall region come to the market.
“The stand-alone aggregation would suit a larger farming operator, with the northern holdings currently producing 3500ha to 4000ha of crops: canola-wheat rotation and barley,” he said.
“The southern properties are running 3000 trade cattle, as well as growing out young heifers for a local dairy business.”
Biodiversity on the asset has been maintained with about five percent of the land set aside with plantations, tree lines and fenced remnant native vegetation and waterways.
Considered drought proof in a 450-500mm rainfall zone, Shiloh Farms is well watered by four bores and three equipped dams.
There is extensive infrastructure for both sheep and cattle, as well as numerous sheds and silos, two homes, a worker’s cottage, and a modern workers’ quarters.
Shooters Hill
John and Kerry Stone’s productive dryland cropping opportunity in the tightly held Great Southern region has sold for $35M, or $10,720 per arable hectare including infrastructure.
The 4387ha Shooters Hill Aggregation is 5km from Borden, 30km from Gnowangerup and 80km from Katanning and Mount Barker, and is close to CBH sites at Borden and Cranbrook, as well as CBH’s Albany grain terminal.
LAWD agent Simon Wilkinson said Shooters Hill drew notable interest through a competitive expression of interest campaign.
While he was unable to disclose the buyer’s name, he said it was a WA farming family excited to be expanding their operational holdings into the Borden area.
Comprising four semi-contiguous holdings – 2210ha Madgedup, 1163ha Shooters Hill, 527ha Tin Hut, and 486ha Block – it had been aggregated by the family over the past 110 years.
Benefitting from a Mediterranean climate, around 3265ha is considered arable and has been established to a dryland cropping program producing wheat, barley, oats, canola, faba beans, lupins, and field peas.
Shooters Hill Aggregation has a history of achieving strong yields.
During 2021 and 2022, the operation recorded an average of 3.83 tonnes/ha of wheat, 3.56t/ha of barley, 3.11t/ha of oats, 1.75t/ha of canola, 2.05t/ha of faba beans, and 1.64t/ha of lupins.
Mr Wilkinson said over the 115 years of generational ownership, the family invested in high-quality structural and land-ameliorant improvements.
“Soil-enhancement projects have been undertaken, as well as an annual fertiliser program to maintain and enhance the long-term productivity and sustainability of the land,” Mr Wilkinson said.
“Approximate pH levels range from 4.9 to 6.5 at depths between 0 and 15cm.”
Water is supplied by dams and strategically located spray tanks, in a 398mm average annual rainfall region.
Improvements include a home, workers’ accommodation, various sheds, a shearing shed, and more than 1000t of grain storage.
Echidna Ridge Aggregation
Excel Farms has purchased five adjoining properties in the Great Southern region from Australian Food and Farming.
The 5937ha Echidna Ridge Aggregation near Pingrup is described as a well-established enterprise set up for both grazing and cropping.
Ray White Rural WA agent Kate Jefferies was unable to disclose the price paid, but described the transaction as a good result for both the buyer and the seller.
The country on Echidna Ridge is slightly undulating and soils range from heavier loamy clays to loamy gravels and lighter sand over clay.
Mostly, it comprises medium easy-working soil types growing cereal and canola crops.
While 5458ha is arable, Echidna Ridge has recently operated as a mixed enterprise property running sheep.
The property is fenced into 44 paddocks with more than 55km of new fencing, and is well watered by dams, many of which have been cleaned.
Infrastructure across the aggregation includes several homes, a four-stand shearing shed, new sheep yards, a 600-head sheep feedlot and machinery and fertiliser storage sheds.
There are 12 silos with 743t of storage.
Echidna Ridge Aggregation is Excel Farms second major purchase in the Pingrup region, following its acquisition early last year of the 12,000ha Southwark Soaks holding which it has renamed Cairlocup.
Rovadam, Shalimar list
LAWD agent Simon Wilkinson is marketing two dryland cropping and livestock opportunities in Western Australia’s south.
Both are being offered for sale by expressions of interest closing on February 16.
The 1094ha Rovadam is located 25km west of Bremer Bay and 45km from Jerramungup, in a 512mm average annual rainfall farming region.
Stewarded by the Harland family for 55 years, Rovadam has a diverse history of cropping rotations which have included canola, barley, wheat and triticale, and pasture renovation, complemented by sheep breeding, backgrounding and finishing.
Around 1004ha is considered arable and benefitted by a mix of soil types including loam to grey sandy gravel loams over gravel and clay at depth.
Rovadam has an extensive history of land improvement and soil enhancement projects and is watered by 15 dams and an equipped bore.
Improvements include a homestead, numerous sheds, a shearing shed, sheep and cattle yards and grain silo storage.
The 825ha Shalimar is situated near Qualeup, 35km from Boyup Brook and Kojonup and 75km from Katanning, in the Great Southern farming region.
Mr Wilkinson described the operation as an outlier for the region.
“Shalimar has benefitted from leading agronomic management and pasture renovation resulting in outstanding performance across its grains and sheep production.”
“In 2023, the property produced around 9t/ha for oaten hay, 5.2t/ha for barley, 4.5t/ha for oats, 2.35t/ha for canola and ran 13 dry sheep equivalents per hectare,” he said.
Situated in a 500mm average rainfall region, Shalimar is watered by 14 by dams.
Infrastructure includes a 1000-head set of sheep yards.
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