Dutch investors Optifarm selling renowned NSW farm Jemalong Station

A well-known 13,498ha irrigated mixed farming property near Forbes, owned by Dutch agricultural investors, has hit the market.

Dutch agricultural investors Optifarm have listed another of their flagship Australian assets for sale, hot on the heels of the recent $120 million sale of the Riverina irrigated cotton powerhouse, Gundaline Station.

Optifarm is now looking to offload the highly regarded 13,498ha Jemalong Station, near Forbes in central west NSW, five years after purchasing the property.

Optifarm has managed and developed Jemalong Station since acquiring it in 2018 from the Kahlbetzer family’s Twynam Agricultural Group.

Offers of more than $85 million-plus are expected for the property which has irrigated and dryland cropping and grazing opportunities in NSW’s Lachlan Valley region.

In recent seasons the Jemalong Station has produced cotton, winter cereals, oilseeds, and fodder crops alongside beef cattle, wool and lamb production.

With current land developments and irrigation infrastructure, cotton yields have reached about 12 bales a hectare, 6t a hectare for wheat and 2.5t a hectare for canola.

Jemalong Station was sold to Optifarm by the Kahlbetzer family’s Twynam Agricultural Group in 2018.

Optifarm purchased Jemalong Station and the adjoining Jemalong Citrus in a $115 million deal which also included the 32,730ha Merrowie Station at Hillston, bought by US-based group, Mers Global Investments LLC, through its vehicle MRA Merrowie.

LAWD senior director Danny Thomas and directors Ian Robertson and Erica Semmens are handling the sale of the property with expressions of interest closing April 5 at 12pm.

Mr Thomas said he expected buyer interest in Jemalong Station to predominantly come from corporate players.

Jemalong Station comprises centre pivot irrigation (311ha), linear move irrigation (805ha), flood and border check irrigation (524ha), dryland cropping and perennial pastures (9,995ha) and grazing (1,562ha).

Jemalong Station is for sale on its own and does not include the nearby Jemalong Citrus.

Attached to the property are 2580ML of Upper Lachlan Alluvial groundwater and 1134ML of Lachlan River General Security Water delivered via the Jemalong Irrigation Scheme.

Existing infrastructure includes the highly regarded Jemalong homestead, which features Lachlan River frontage, an integrated stock water system, six-stand woolshed, four livestock yards and efficient laneway systems.

Machinery shedding, a new 5500t grain storage complex and additional grain and fertiliser storage support crop production.

Last year Optifarm listed the nearby 360ha Jemalong Citrus farm for sale, however it has since been withdrawn from the market.

Earlier this year Optifarm nearly doubled its initial investment as it sold Gundaline Station, near Carrathool, for $120 million to a Chinese textiles company.

Optifarm purchased Gundaline Station for a reported $65 million in 2018 from Southern Agricultural Resources.