CROPPING, fattening, backgrounding and pastoral grazing country feature in this week’s a wrap-up of recent listings in New South Wales and South Australia.

 TA Field Estates offers dress circle cattle country

 High $20m anticipated for Yarrowitch’s Jamberoo

 SA’s Rowe family sells Razorback and Kercolo

 Flinders Ranges country attracts early inquiry

 SA institutional farm lists separately

TA Field Estates offers dress circle cattle country

Well-known agribusiness family TA Field Estates is selling scenic high rainfall country in the dress circle Wongwibinda/Ebor district of northern New South Wales.

The 1891ha Doughboy Mountain is situated on top of the Doughboy Mountain Range, 56km east of Guyra and 68km from Armidale.

It was purchased in 2015 and is described as a red meat production factory. The property is currently breeding and backgrounding around 21,000DSE.

Doughboy Mountain has the infrastructure for a sheep enterprise, but it could also be a calf factory running significant numbers of breeders.

Doughboy Mountain is in excellent company among some of the best grazing country on the eastern fall.

Gina Rinehart has country close by and the Roche Group owns Jeogla and Wallamumbi Stations. In fact, Doughboy would give the latter a backgrounding option they may not have.

Doughboy Mountain is watered by a bore, four spring fed creeks and numerous spring-fed dams supported by 900mm of average annual rain.

Managing director and chairman Michael Field said after good falls in mid to late January the property is presenting very well.

“The dams are full, and the country boasts a full moisture profile.”

Altitude is a feature, with much of the property rising from 1200m to 1495m above sea level.

Nutrien Boulton’s agent Bruce Rutherford said the cool temperate climate is ideal for pasture production.

“Around 80 percent of the undulating and hilly country has rich basalt soils growing an impressive and well-balanced mix of native and introduced grasses.

“Doughboy Mountain was one of the first properties in New England to be top dressed, with cocksfoot, fescue and clovers responding well to the program – a feature of the property since the 1950s,” he said.

The property offers off-farm income from a phone tower, as well as other renewable energy potential such as a wind farm.

Infrastructure includes an architecturally designed four-bedroom home, a one-bedroom cottage, a four-stand shearing shed, sheep yards, steel cattle yards, numerous sheds and a 50-tonne fertiliser silo.

In recent years, most of the fencing has been replaced and this includes a significant area that has been exclusion fenced.

Expressions of interest for Doughboy Mountain close on April 3.

High $20m anticipated for Yarrowitch’s Jamberoo

Backgrounding and finishing country in northern New South Wales boasting high rainfall, rich basalt soils and altitude is anticipated to achieve in the high $20 millions.

The 2051ha Jamberoo is located on the top of the Great Dividing Range, 15km from Yarrowitch and 65km from Walcha.

The property is spread across three (accessible) valleys, with more than 1400ha sown to high performance fescue based pastures.

The family has installed more than 50km of new fencing and laneways, and undertaken an annual top dressing schedule that equates to more than 1.2 tonnes per hectare across the property.

Jamberoo is rated to run more than 25,000DSE or 1400 breeding cows or background 3000 to 4500 steers.

Meares & Associates agent Sam Meares said early inquiry is mainly coming from family operators and investors looking for backgrounding and finishing country to complement their existing breeding enterprises.

Water is provided by an equipped bore, permanent springs, Warnes River frontage, double frontage to three main creek systems and around 60 spring fed dams.

Infrastructure includes two three-bedroom homes, two steel cattle yards and a machinery shed complex.

Jamberoo will be offered for sale via online auction starting on April 2.

SA’s Rowe family sells Razorback and Kercolo

South Australia’s Rowe family from Princess Royal Station at Burra is offering two properties with a reputation for quality cropping and livestock production.

Razorback and Kercolo have a combined area of 2167ha. They are located in the highly regarded Mt Bryan area in the state’s mid north.

The properties were aggregated over more than 15 years and are being sold to allow the company to further develop and expand its existing feedlot portfolio.

Ray White Rural SA agents Geoff Schell, Daniel Schell and Sam Krieg have been appointed to sell the properties as a whole, separately or in multiple lots.

The 1779ha Razorback is located 15km north-east of Mount Bryan and 21km south-east of Hallett, while the nearby 388ha Kercolo is 5km to the north.

Razorback has a blend of open undulating arable farming land to grazing hills and open plains.

Around 766ha are arable and feature mostly red and brown loam soils that the Rowes have been using in a cropping rotation of wheat, barley and vetch.

The 1013ha balance comprises open and undulating grazing country, with the Razorback Ranges a feature of the western portion of the property.

During its ownership, the properties have enjoyed advanced agronomic practices with up to 30 tonnes of cattle manure applied per hectare to the cropping areas. Around 30kg of seed and fertiliser have been aerially applied on a per hectare basis, every three to four years, to the grazing areas.

Razorback is situated in a 300mm to 400mm rainfall region and water is also supplied by five bores,  four equipped. Infrastructure includes a recently renovated three-bedroom home, a cottage, a shearing shed and yards.

The 388ha Kercolo has 240ha of gently undulating arable farming land with clay and loam soils suited to cropping and hay production, with the 148ha balance comprising open grass plains suited to grazing.

It is watered by an equipped bore and has basic cattle and sheep yards, and an old shearing shed with yards (in need of renovation).

The expressions of interest campaign for Razorback and Kercolo close on March 21.

Flinders Ranges country attracts early inquiry

The scenic 31,000ha Puttapa Station is located on the Outback Highway in SA, 4km south of Leigh Creek and 20km east of Beltana.

There has been good early inquiry for an historic Flinders Ranges pastoral lease that will be marketed this autumn.

The scenic 31,000ha Puttapa Station is located on the Outback Highway, 4km south of Leigh Creek and 20km east of Beltana.

Originally part of Beltana Station, Puttapa was purchased by Len and Ragless in 1936. Now, 89 years later, grandson Graham Ragless is selling it in order to downsize.

Ray White Rural agent Sam Krieg has already fielded phone calls from neighbours and producers across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales seeking low input grazing country boasting scale.

“Puttapa has a good amount of dry feed to carry through to winter and is currently running between 2500 to 3000 Dorper ewes and followers – although it does have the infrastructure to revert back to Merinos.”

Mr Krieg said the property offers further tourism potential and has a variety of 4WD tracks.

Although it is too early to offer a price guide, nearby sales have included the 44,696ha Wilkatana Station that sold in November for $7.4 million and the 43,300ha Lake Torrens Station that sold in August for $5.4m.

Puttapa has an abundance of underground water. Across the holding, there are 10 bores.

Infrastructure includes a recently renovated, four-bedroom stone homestead (circa 1939), a nine-bedroom shearers quarters, a four-stand shearing shed and eight stock yards.

An expressions of interest campaign for Puttapa Station will be launched in the coming weeks, with a closing date likely at end of April or early May.

South Australian institutional farm lists separately

Renewed interest is anticipated for an institutional scale farming opportunity in South Australia’s south-east owned by Ararat-based Excel Farms and its Canadian investment fund partner.

The Boorala Aggregation comprises two holdings spanning 2821ha – 1980ha Boorala and the 841ha Manton. It is located 40km north-east of Naracoorte in the renowned Frances region, close to the Victorian border.

The mixed farming asset is anticipated to make in excess of $37 million and was brought to the market as a whole in April last year. It is now being offered in one-line or as separate assets by LAWD and TDC Livestock & Property.

TDC agent Tom Pearce reports that after a late break and early frosts, both properties had a good harvest resulting in good yields.

“After a tough season across the board in South Australia, enquiry is picking up from within a 50km radius, as well as from farming families across the south-east.

“A break in the season and an interest rate drop would certainly generate more vigour in the market,” Mr Pearce said.

The aggregation is currently used for dual purpose winter cropping (cereals, oilseeds and faba beans on 1655ha), as well as prime lamb and cattle production.

The generally level country is mostly level with a mix of fertile brown loams over clay. There are heavier loams with sandy soil types on rises across Manton.

Prime lambs and cattle are run on a mixture of high-performing improved perennial pastures including phalaris and ryegrass.

In 2023, the aggregation was running 3300 ewes and trading 28,000 lambs and 1400 cattle. By increasing the 2024 cropping program, the aggregation was able to run 4500 ewes and trading 7500 lambs and 180 cattle. It is situated in a high rainfall district, water is supplied by bores, dams and seasonal creeks.

Significant capital expenditure programs have focused on cropping efficiencies, pasture development, water infrastructure, soil amelioration, fencing and laneways, as well as infrastructure.

The 841ha Manton is available separately for $6.29m and the remaining 1980ha (known as Boorala) are also available as four separate holdings, each offered with a separate price tag.

 912ha Boorala – $14.06m. It has two four-bedroom homes, two shearing sheds, two sheep yards, one cattle yards, 460-tonnes of grain storage and newly installed water infrastructure.

 434ha Cadgee – $6.4m. It is offered with a five-bedroom home, new water infrastructure and numerous sheds.

 357ha Walkington West – $5.75m – is offered with a solar pump equipped bore and a new water system and;

 277ha Boorala North West – $4.5m.