25 of Australia’s biggest cropping farmers revealed

Powered by huge portfolios of farmland these are the primary producers cropping thousands and thousands of hectares for food and fibre. See the full list.

Investment funds rule the roost when it comes to cropping land ownership in Australia, with Canadian and American super funds holding the title of the nation’s largest summer and winter cropping operations.

But there are still family businesses punching above their weight and producing tens of thousands of hectares of crops each year, powering the $48.1 billion sector.

Western Australia leads the way statistically for hectares and according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, the west’s production is tipped to increase by 24 per cent to 18.4 million tonnes of crop this year and in 2025.

The Weekly Times has listed the largest cropping farmers by land size, covering farms from Queensland to northern NSW, Victoria and Western Australia.

TIAA-CREF (UNITED STATES)
NUVEEN NATURAL CAPITAL
350,000 HECTARES

The US-based Nuveen Natural Capital, considered the largest investor of farmland in the world, is a major player on the Australian cropping landscape — albeit from a landlord perspective.

Nuveen’s farming interests span 383,078 hectares across 65 properties in Australia with a total value of about $2.5 billion.

Of Nuveen’s 66 Australian farms, 60 are operated under the tenant model, where farms are leased out to farmers.

The bulk of Nuveen’s row cropping business is now in NSW and Western Australia, with additional assets in Queensland and Victoria.

Its biggest properties include the 14,070-hectare Sunshine Aggregation at Forbes NSW, which it purchased from the AAM Investment Group this year, plus the 13,420-hectare Watheroo aggregation at Watheroo in Western Australia.

Backed by the US Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America and College Retirement Equities Fund, Nuveen also own the 13,392-hectare Mascott at Bellata in NSW, the 9957-hectare Bellaranga at Morowa, the 9594-hectare Varley Farm at Varley in Western Australia, and the 8532-hectare Gorian at Burren Junction NSW.

Nuveen Natural Capital traces its roots back to the Westchester Group, which was founded in 1986, in Champaign, Illinois, using proprietary capital provided by TIAA.

It took its first step outside the US with investments in Australia in 2007 and now has $US$12.4 billion invested across 600 farmland and timberland assets in 10 countries globally.

Previously known as the Westchester Group, the agricultural investment company was rebadged Nuveen Natural Capital in February 2022, part of a company-wide push to cater for changing investor expectations.

PSP Investments’ Altora Ag paid $70 million for the Timberscombe Aggregation at Back Creek, NSW.

PSP INVESTMENTS (CANADA)
ALTORA AG AND AUSTRALIAN FOOD AND FIBRE
230,000 HECTARES-PLUS

Canada’s PSP Investments, considered the largest investor in Australian agriculture by value, runs a series of joint-venture businesses to power its cropping operations in Australia.

Via Altora Ag and Australian Food and Fibre, PSP oversees almost a quarter of a million hectares of dryland and irrigated cropping producing a range of grains and fibre, as part of PSP’s total $7.5 billion investment into Aussie agriculture.

Altora Ag operates across 69 properties in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. The production is mostly dryland cropping of winter cereals, pulses and oilseeds with some irrigation.

The Altora Ag portfolio includes more than 35 properties in NSW, mostly centred around Temora in the Riverina.

The aggregation also encompasses the 9192-hectare Kinbeachie Farms near Toobeah in Queensland and the 7321-hectare Catumnal Farms venture northwest of Boort in Victoria.

Its six-farm portfolio in Western Australia includes the 27,068-hectare Erregulla Plains business at Mingenew.

In addition to cropping, Altora Ag is involved in grain storage through a joint venture at Temora in southern NSW with Cargill Australia and has the capacity to store 450,000 tonnes.

Additionally, Australian Food and Fibre is PSP’s joint venture with the Robinson family, which has assets in northern NSW.

In May 2021, it paid a reported $600 million for the Auscott cotton business in NSW, which included 22,000 hectares of developed irrigation country and more than 143,000 megalitres of water entitlements.

In 2019, Auscott sold its Midkin aggregation to AFF for a rumoured $300 million. AFF’s stake includes Darling Farms at Bourke in NSW and the 9593-hectare Bengerang at Garah.

Macquarie Agriculture’s Cubbie Station, purchased outright in 2022. Picture: James Wagstaff

MACQUARIE AGRICULTURE (AUSTRALIAN-BASED FUND)
VIRIDIS AG, CUBBIE STATION, COWAL AGRICULTURE
212,476 HECTARES

Investors in Macquarie’s Agricultural Funds Management are harvesting some of the biggest returns from the cropping sector thanks to some premier assets.

Macquarie Agriculture, the second-biggest investor in Australian agriculture, runs three crops-specific funds in Viridis Ag (spanning 113,500 hectares), Cubbie Station (93,000 hectares) and Cowal Agriculture (5976 hectares).

Viridis Ag boasts 12 properties and specialises in broadacre row cropping. Its biggest footprint is in Western Australia, with the portfolio boasting Alcheringa near Geraldton (13,000 hectares), Arawa at Geraldton (9400 hectares), Bindana Downs at Bindi Bindi, (9300 hectares), Tantanoola at Jerramungup (13,200 hectares) and The Grange at Dongara (16,700 hectares).

NSW properties include Englefield Plains at Junee (7500 hectares). Gundurra at Orange (5000 hectares), Oodnadatta Farms at Moree (15,700 hectares), while in South Australia, it owns Glendore on the Eyre Peninsula (7550 hectares) and Wiltoo at Cummins (5900 hectares).

Macquarie also owns and operates Cubbie Station at Dirranbandi and St George in southern Queensland — known as Australia’s largest cotton producer.
Cubbie is also the largest irrigation operation in Australia. There are three properties in the aggregation including Cubbie Station, The Anchorage and Aspen. There are 22,000 hectares of irrigated crops. In addition to growing cotton Cubbie also farms wheat, sorghum, sunflowers, barley, chickpeas and corn.

WARAKIRRI ASSET MANAGEMENT (AUSTRALIAN and FOREIGN INVESTMENT FUNDS)
WARAKIRRI CROPPING
155,000 HECTARES

Warakirri Cropping owns and operates 11 aggregations in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia totalling about 155,000 hectares, capable of producing 400,000 tonnes of grain annually.

Key properties include Mawarra in the eastern wheatbelt near Merredin in WA covering 24,326 hectares and Lobethal near Beaumont in Western Australia which spans 12,747ha.

In Victoria Warakirri owns the 12,765-hectare Baingarra, between Minyip and Donald in the north Wimmera region plus Bullarto Downs which covers 10,032 hectares in Victoria’s southern Mallee near Hopetoun.

Four of Warakirri’s aggregations are located in NSW including Orange Park, west of Lockhart, in the eastern Riverina, which spans 8263 hectares and 8204-hectare Boolavilla in the Gwydir region of NSW which grows winter and summer crops including wheat, barley, chickpeas, sorghum and mung beans.

Lawson Grains acquired Jemalong Station last year for $75 million.

ALBERTA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CORPORATION (CANADA) AND NEW FORESTS
LAWSON GRAINS
120,000 HECTARES

On behalf of pension, endowment and government funds in Alberta, Canada, the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) has surged to become on of Australia’s largest cropping farmers.

Three years ago they completed a $600 million deal for the 105,000-hectare Lawson Grains portfolio from Macquarie Agriculture.

The 13,498-hectare Jemalong Station near Forbes in Central West NSW was added to the portfolio last year for $75 million, taking the cropping company to 11 aggregated properties in total.

AIMCo, in partnership with New Forests also bought the Green Park Aggregation in Rand, NSW, adding it to the now 11,219-hectare Borambil Aggregation.

PETER AND JANE HARRIS, MOREE NSW
PJ HARRIS AND SONS

The Harris family are considered to be among the largest and most influential cotton producers in Australia, operating a large irrigated cropping and cotton enterprise based out of Miralwyn Cotton at Carinda, at the junction of the Barwon and Macquarie Rivers in northwestern NSW.

Running under the name Budvalt Pty Ltd, the company also own Brewon Station and the Glen Acre Aggregation (comprising four farms) at Walgett, Rumleigh Station at Brewarrina, Clyde Cotton at Bourke, Moomin Station at Moree.

The family also owns and operates two cotton gins plus the 1.1 million-hectare Gulf Coast Agricultural Company in far North Queensland after buying it for $380 million in December 2022.

WA cropping legend John Nicoletti.

JOHN NICOLETTI, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
105,000 HECTARES

One of Australia’s biggest grain growers owns numerous assets in his home state of Western Australia, including the Apache Agriculture portfolio, Newdegate WA (45,057 hectares) and Cheriton Farms, South Yilgarn WA (7329 hectares) and Connawarrie, Newdegate WA (11,503 hectares).

Mr Nicoletti also owns the 41,178-hectare Frog Loch Aggregation, located in the eastern wheatbelt 5km from Southern Cross and 105km from Merredin.

Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing. Picture: Anthony Wallace

CK LIFE SCIENCES (HONG KONG)
NICOLETTI FARMS
88,000 HECTARES

With more than $2 billion in Australian farming assets, Hong Kong’s richest person, Li Ka-shing’s, CK Life Sciences is at forefront of the Asian investment in our agriculture sector.

While focused heavily on the horticulture industry, the group bought a 88,000-hectare portfolio from John Nicoletti in 2015 for $36 million, via a 10-year leaseback agreement for the land.

Cherylton Farms, bought by Excel Farms, for more than $100 million in early 2023.

FIERA COMOX (CANADA)
EXCEL FARMS AND EASTERN AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE
87,000 HECTARES

Through 50,0000 hectares with Ararat-based Excel Farms and a further 36,422 hectares with Eastern Australian Agriculture, Canada’s Fiera Comox owns a considerable portfolio of cropping farmland.

Last year, via Excel Farms it secured landmark asset Ballandry Station, from David Bartter for $120 million, which covers 26,839 hectares near Griffith in the NSW Riverina.

In recent years it has also purchased the 8554-hectare Cherylton Farms, Kojonup in WA for $100 million.

They also own the Kia Ora and Clyde properties covering 36,422 hectares near Dirranbandi in Queensland, via cotton farm and water rights owner Eastern Australia Agriculture – a company of which shadow treasurer Angus Taylor was a director.

SALIC’s Merriden Farms in WA’s wheatbelt.

SAUDI AGRICULTURAL AND LIVESTOCK INVESTMENT COMPANY (SAUDI ARABIA) MERREDIN FARMS PTY LTD
78,000 HECTARES

Backed by Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC), Merredin Farms, is located at Bodallin in Western Australia.

SALIC Australia’s portion of the Merredin Farms Wheatbelt Portfolio was once part of the 210,000-hectare Baladjie Aggregation, sold by the Nicoletti family to SALIC in 2019.

The portfolio comprises two distinct hubs operating as one aggregation including Warralakin (40,401 hectares) and Bodallin (37,553 hectares).

The two properties have been run under Merredin Farms management, cropping about 59,500ha of mostly wheat with some barley and canola.

Last year SALIC Australia and Perth-headquartered PenAgri Farms announced they were selling their Merredin Farms Wheatbelt Portfolio, where it could have fetched offers worth almost $200 million.

David and Danielle Statham at Sundown Pastoral Company’s Keytah cotton farm. Photo: supplied

STATHAM FAMILY, MOREE NSW
SUNDOWN PASTORAL COMPANY
70,650 HECTARES

In both Queensland and northern NSW David and Danielle Statham hold significant cropping assets via their Sundown Pastoral Company.

The powerhouse of their operations is the Keytah at Moree, a 26,650-hectare cotton farm nestled between the Gwydir and Mehi rivers on a parcel of rich alluvial land.

Keytah was purchased by Sundown Pastoral Company in 1984 and has grown into one of the largest cotton producing properties in Australia, producing up to 78,000 bales a year at a rate of 7 to 15 bales to the hectare.

St Ronans Station, spanning 44,000 hectares at Mount Surprise, Queensland, is the family’s key farm in the sunshine state, but was listed for sale earlier this year.

A portion of the property is used for cotton growing and there is also 5500 head of cattle and a feedlot, 1755ha of dryland cropping, 325ha of centre-pivot and flood irrigation and 190ha of further arable cropping land.

CARATTI FAMILY, ESPERANCE WA
JM CARATTI FAMILY TRUST
70,000 HECTARES

Under JM Caratti Family Trust, the Caratti family are the largest landholders in the Great Southern Region of Esperance in Western Australia, spanning 70,000 hectares.

The holdings comprises the 8900-hectare Linkletter’s Place farm, which was at one stage owned by US investor Art Linkletter after he bought it in the 1950s.

Roger Fletcher at his Abattoir on the outskirts of Dubbo in the state's Central West. Picture: Peter Lorimer.

FLETCHER FAMILY, DUBBO NSW AND NARRIKUP, WA
FLETCHER INTERNATIONAL
49,000 HECTARE

Agribusiness magnate Roger Fletcher OAM and his family farming group have grown to a cropping portfolio of about 45,000 hectares throughout NSW and WA.

The Fletcher group now has more than 110,000 hectares of country including more than 40,500 hectares of cropping, 4050 hectares of irrigation and 56,656 hectares of grazing land, including the Kiargathur Station.

Recently the group paid about $43 million for the 8828-hectare Darriwell Aggregation of 19 holdings near Trundle in Central West NSW.

CORRIGAN FAMILY, DARLINGTON POINT NSW
KOOBA STATION
40,000 HECTARES

Kooba Station, located in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area spanning 40,000 hectares.

The property supports row cropping, horticulture and livestock and much of the country is irrigated.

According to ASIC records, Kooba is a corporate farm with shareholders including Christopher Corrigan of Switzerland and Joseph Corrigan of Sydney, David Fitzsimons of Switzerland and Maurice Felizzi of West Pennant Hills.

David, Sam and Tom Coulton of Morella Agriculture at Boggabilla, NSW.

COULTON FAMILY, BOGGABILLA, NSW
MORELLA AGRICULTURE
37,000 HECTARES

Led by David and Kim Coulton and their three sons, Andrew, Thomas and Sam, Morella Agriculture has a significant cropping footprint throughout northern NSW and southern Queensland.

Earlier this year the family added the 10,842-hectare Welltown Station, two years after they paid about $80 million for the 12,840-hectare Kalanga cotton growing aggregation.

Across a total portfolio of about 820,000-hectare, the family grows cereal crops, breeds Angus cows, operate a 2000-head feedlot and are considered pioneers of growing cotton in the broader Goondiwindi region.

RON HARRIS AND FAMILY, MAUDE, BALRANALD NSW
RAVENSWORTH AGRICULTURE COMPANY

34,300 HECTARES

Wheat, cotton, beef, and sheep production are all part of the Harris family’s Ravensworth Agriculture Company, which spans farmland in both NSW and Victoria.

The Ravensworth story began when Ron Harris and family first arrived in the Riverina region in the 1990s, at the Ravensworth Station and beef feedlot near Maude.

Spanning 14,300 hectares, 50km west of Hay, the Ravensworth feedlot can hold 15,000 head and is the home of the Harris family’s beef and cotton production.

The Harris family also run Lake Marimley Station, at Balranald, growing lamb, cotton and a medley of mixed crops across about 20,000 hectares.

In 2022 they were named Southern Valley Cotton Grower Association growers of the year.

Impact Ag Partners’ Hugh Killen and Bert Glover. Picture: Simon Scott

AGRICULTURE & NATURAL SOLUTIONS ACQUISITIONS CORPORATION (UNITED STATES)
AUSTRALIAN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
33,000 HECTARES

Earlier this year a consortium of foreign investors, piled into the NASDAQ-listed and Cayman Island incorporated Agriculture and Natural Solutions Acquisition Corporation (ANSC), a special purpose acquisition company, to buy the massive 225,000-hectare Australian Food and Agriculture company.

ANSC, backed by Riverstone Investment Group and Impact Ag Partners— founded by Bert Glover— announced it had agreed to acquire Australian Food and Agriculture for AUD$780 million (about USD$510 million), via a business combination.

AFA formally listed its assets for sale last September via Bell Potter Securities, opening offers on its entire portfolio following the death of one of its founding directors, the late Colin Bell.

The portfolio comprises 18 farms near Deniliquin, Hay and Coonamble and almost 54,700 megalitres of water licences in the Murrumbidgee and Murray irrigation areas. The Deniliquin portion of the portfolio covers about 123,000 hectares including landmark stations Wanganella and Boonoke and their world-renowned Merino studs.

The Coonamble group of farms, about 160km north of Dubbo, span 44,181ha including the Wingadee and Netherby stations. Across the portfolio there is 22,000ha of dryland cropping and 11,000ha of irrigated rice, cotton and wheat cropping.

The Australian Food and Agriculture company was sold for $780 million earlier this year.

MERS GLOBAL INVESTMENTS (UNITED STATES)
MRA MERROWIE PTY LTD
32,730 HECTARES

Backed by the US-based MERS (Municipal Employees’ Retirement System of Michigan) Global Investments LLC, MRA Merrowie Pty Ltd operates two key NSW cropping assets.

In 2019 they purchased the 32,730-hectare Merrowie Station from Twynam Agriculture Group and the 1747-hectare Sunland Agriculture aggregation in 2021 for more than $45 million from Tim and Sally Watson.

GoFARM’s Lake Boga properties in northern Victoria. Picture: Aaron Francis

GoFARM
LIAM LENAGHAN, COSTA ASSET MANAGEMENT
31,800 HECTARES

GoFARM, owned by managing director Liam Lenaghan and Robert Costa, the late Anthony Costa and their families, through their family investment vehicle, Costa Asset Management, has several key cropping assets in southern Australia.

The largest of which is the 26,600 Petro Station, located at Wentworth NSW, where 9642 hectares are considered arable and a further 12,525 hectares set aside for biodiversity conservation.

Elsewhere the group also crop about 2580 hectares at Lake Boga and more than 3300 hectares of mixed-farmland west of Ballarat after acquiring the Dean family’s historic 2336ha Eurambeen Station at Beaufort, and 979ha Grandview, near Ercildoune.

GoFARM managing director Liam Lenaghan in a barley crop at their Lake Boga property in northern Victoria. Picture: Aaron Francis

FARMLAND RESERVE (CHURCH OF JESUS CHIRST OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS, UNITED STATES)
ALKIRA FARMS
26,885 HECTARES

In September this year US-based agricultural investor Farmland Reserve, backed by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, paid between $300 and $350 million to acquire renowned and retiring cotton and cattle farmers Robert and Jennie Reardon have sold their Worral Creek Aggregation.

The 26,885-hectare portfolio comprises seven non-contiguous properties across four hubs between Talwood and Mungindi in the Border Rivers region of Queensland, including 65,900ML of water entitlements.

A subsidiary of US-based agricultural investor Farmland Reserve, Alkira Farms, acquired the massive portfolio, with Melbourne-based Warakirri Asset Management entering a new strategic relationship with Alkira Farms as part of the deal after representing Alkira Farms in the transaction.

Solterra Agriculture, a new cropping business led by Warakirri’s agricultural executive Adrian Goonan, will manage the Worral Creek Aggregation.

Worral Creek aggregation near Goondiwindi in the Border Rivers region of Queensland.

GUNN AGRI PARTNERS
25,000 HECTARES

Natural capital fund Gunn Agri Partners has more than one million hectares worth $750 million-plus under management, running 65,000 cattle, and growing 25,000 hectares of crops, plus 15,000 avocado trees, 1000,000 macadamia trees and 75,000 Queen Garnet trees.

Last year they paid $50 million-plus to buy the 5437-hectare Burmah Station at Graman NSW from Paraway Pastoral Company.

Other key holdings include the Faulkner Farming portfolio of eight farms on the Liverpool Plains of NSW, spanning a combined 12,500 hectares.

Fred Barlow of Wyadrigah Pastoral Co in 2018.

BARLOW FAMILY, MUNGINDI NSW
WYADRIGAH PASTORAL COMPANY
25,000 HECTARES-PLUS

The Barlow family have cropping and grazing property in northern NSW and Queensland spanning a total 110,000 hectares.

The operation has 23,472 hectares dedicated to dryland cropping, 2025ha for irrigation and the balance is grazing country.

COWAN FAMILY, ESPERANCE WA
ARKLE FARMS
24,000 HECTARES

A family-owned mixed-farming enterprise in Western Australia consisting of the Arkle Angus stud, a commercial sheep flock and broadacre cropping. Operate several broadacre properties in the Lake King and Esperance regions.

Known as the 24,000-hectare Bedford Harbour Aggregation, Paul and Deidre Cowan’s farms produce 85,000 tonnes of grain annually plus a 900-head Angus stud, a 2000-head commercial cattle herd and a 10,000 sheep, lamb and wool enterprise.

PROTERRA INVESTMENT PARTNERS (UNITED STATES)
ONE TREE AGRICULTURE
23,595 HECTARES

US private equity firm, Proterra Investment Partners, is focused on natural resource investing. In December 2021 they sold the Corinella Group of properties in Victoria and South Australia for $370 million and in November 2022 offloaded the 4448-hectare Vaucluse Estate Aggregation in Tasmania for more than $100 million.

In July they also listed their 23,500-hectare One Tree Agriculture portfolio of cropping farmland spanning 21 properties on the NSW-Qld border.

Proterra managing director Becs Willson said this season was shaping up as their largest season across the One Tree Agriculture portfolio with almost 17,000 hectares of established winter crops.

The portfolio contains three hubs including the 9966-hectare Jandowae and 7934-hectare Umbercollie aggregations in southern Queensland near Goondiwindi and north to Jandowae, and a further 5694 hectares in northern NSW, home to the North Star aggregation.

Farmer Andrew Earle in 2009.

EARLE FAMILY, MUNGINDI NSW
21,000 HECTARES

Renowned Australian grain grower Andrew Earle is the managing partner of the 20,000 hectare Bullawarrie property, located at Mungindi-Thallon in the NSW-Queensland Border Rivers region.

About 16,000ha at Bullawarrie is used for winter crops with the 5500-head JA Livingston Merino stud run on the remainder of the property.

Last year Mr Earle and his family partnership purchased the Hickson family’s 5926ha Eural Aggregation, located at Boomi, 85km south of Moree, taking their cropping holdings beyond 21,000 hectares.