DFP Australia offloads second Gippsland dairy farm

A Gippsland beef farmer has purchased a 310ha dairy farm previously owned by a Chinese company for almost a decade.

A Chinese-listed company has sold the second of its two Gippsland dairy farms, striking a multimillion dollar deal with a local Gippsland farmer.

DFP Australia has sold its 310ha South Gippsland dairy farm, located at Poowong, parting with the property after eight years of ownership.

It is understood a private Gippsland beef producer has purchased the property for an undisclosed sum.

It is also understood the property will be converted from a dairy farm to a beef property, aligning with the buyer’s existing farming interests.

The property was originally listed for sale in March this year, alongside its sister 262ha dairy farm at Athlone, also purchased by DFP Australia in 2015.

DFP Australia have owned the 310ha Poowong dairy for about eight years.

At the time the properties were offered as separate holdings or as one aggregation with a price guide of $39,536 a hectare ($16,000 an acre).

In May this year, an undisclosed dairy farming family at Athlone, in West Gippsland, who neighbour the 262ha dairy farm, purchased the property.

Then in September, the Poowong dairy was relisted for sale via Harcourts Drouin with agent John Rowe handling the sale.

He said during the sales campaign there was interest in the property from both dairy and beef farming buyers.

The 310ha Poowong dairy is set to be converted to a beef property.

During its tenure DFP Australia had run both Poowong and Athlone properties as corporate dairy farms with fully employed staff.

Located 3km from the Poowong township and 35km from Warragul, the Poowong dairy farm was marketed with a cow capacity in excess of 500 or 15 dry sheep equivalent per hectare.

Prior to DFP Australia’s acquisition of the Poowong dairy, it was owned by Peter and Elaine Notman and their renowned Notman’s Dairy.

The property also hosted some of Australia’s biggest on-farm field days as part of their other business venture, Notman Pasture Seeds.

Earlier this year the Notmans listed their 626ha aggregation, Walcha Dairy, 16km south of Walcha, for sale with a price tag in excess of $25 million.