Western District farming family to sell east Wimmera cropping farms at Laen

Three prized east Wimmera cropping farms are for sale with offers tipped to exceed $14,000 a hectare for each.

Three pieces of a prized east Wimmera cropping portfolio have hit the market, with each expected to fetch offers worth more than $14,000 a hectare.

More than 650ha of blue-chip cropping country is for sale with a Western District farming family listing the Adams (355ha), Fletts (215ha) and the Hollis (85.8ha) blocks.

The three blocks are for sale separately and could be worth more than $9 million combined.

Fletts could be the most valuable of the blocks with expected offers about $14,323 a hectare totalling $3.08 million.

Hollis consists of similar cropping country and could command $14,205 a hectare or $1.2 million, while the largest lot, Adams, is expected to fetch $4.731 million at $14,080 a hectare.

Earlier this year the Western District farming family sold their nearby Bryans (815ha) and Burchells (159ha) blocks for a figure understood to be at least $13 million.

Driscoll Douglas East Rural Real Estate agent Brett Douglas said he expected local farming families to be at the front of the queue to try and secure a slice of the cropping farms.

“Demand for land is still strong and it certainly will be for these farms. This is excellent cropping country,” he said.

A Western District farming family are selling three more lots of their prized eastern Wimmera cropping portfolio at Laen.

“There have been a number of large transactions in the St Arnaud and Donald area that have been sold privately, which shows there is still a strong demand for land.

“With the ability to split the property up, that is going to be attractive for locals to purchase smaller parcels of land that are a bit more manageable.”

The three lots are suitable for various crops with canola grown at Fletts and barley grown at Hollis and Adams this year.

The farms have been in continuous rotation with any settlement to occur after the this year’s harvest.

About 80km southeast of Laen, Driscoll Douglas East Rural Real Estate are also selling a 206ha livestock farm at Stuart Mill, near St Arnaud.

At Stuart Mill Low Rd, the grazing and cropping farm is being offered by a southern Victorian farming family who are consolidating their assets.

The farm is on offer for about $5000 a hectare, totalling $1.03 million.

Recently, the Merriwa Pastoral Company sold their 1400ha Mallee cropping portfolio with the purchaser and price undisclosed.

Recent sales in the district indicate the farms could have fetched more than $7660 a hectare ($3100 an acre) after it was listed for sale for $10 million-plus in March.