10 of the priciest rural properties on the market at the moment

PUBLISHED Sat, 7 May 2022

AuctionsPlus

by AuctionsPlus

These are some of the biggest opportunities in Australian agriculture today.

21 properties across 23,000 hectares at North Star, Goondiwindi and Jandowae

A large scale offering of three highly productive cropping aggregations on offer.

Agent: Danny Thomas - LAWD

6298 hectares of world class horticulture development in the Murray Valley region

High value crops in Cobram: almonds, citrus, walnuts, stone fruit, grapes, vegetables.

Agent: Danny Thomas - LAWD

One million hectares of institutional-scale beef country in the Territory

Walhallow and Creswell Downs is home to 61,000 head of cattle with sealed road access.

Agent: Rawdon Briggs - Colliers

669,183 hectares for breeding and finishing near world class abattoir in the NT

"Maryfield" & "Limbunya" is capable of processing over 90,000 head of cattle annually.

Agent: Olivia Thompson - Nutrien Landmark

5,976 hectares across two properties of high-yield irrigated cropping near Emerald

Cowal Aggregation is suitable for high value crops, horticulture and permanent plantings.

Agent: Danny Thomas - LAWD

9,004 hectares of tomatoes, plums, sheep, with significant water entitlements

Irrigated farming: organic and conventional horticulture, and broadacre cropping.

Agent: Danny Thomas - LAWD

4448 hectares, a 10-bed homestead the banks of the South Esk River, Tasmania

Poppies, potatoes, hemp, carrot seed, cereals, oilseed, legumes, sheep and cattle.

Agent: Danny Thomas - LAWD

14,425 hectares of sugarcane, cattle, cropping in Mackay and Clairview regions

Three aggregations within a 50 kilometres radius of one another, near the sugar terminal.

Agent: Danny Thomas - LAWD

733,700 hectares at one of the largest organic cattle stations in Central Australia

Mount Doreen Station has been held in the same family since its establishment in 1932.

Agent: Jesse Manuel - Colliers

Auctionsplus the box 8.5.22 Bundaberg Property

390.67 hectares of macadamia nuts; net negative carbon emissions in Bundaberg

Some 106,400 trees and a state of the art nut receival, cleaning and sorting facility.

Agent: Baden Lowrie - Elders

Irrigators and river communities plan day of protest

Widespread demonstrations will take place next week as basin communities, farmers and farming organisations protest the Albanese Government’s water bill.

By Newsroom

MLA launches new indicators with AuctionsPlus data

AuctionsPlus has partnered with Meat and Livestock Australia to release two new indicators to help market participants stay informed.

By Newsroom

Property Roundup: $100m Border Rivers aggregation

A mammoth southern Queensland dryland and irrigated cropping portfolio is being offloaded by a Chinese investor, as another Holbrook holding hits the market. Plus a carbon investors snaps up NT cattle country. Read on to see what else has happened in property this week.

By Jackson Hewett

David Jochinke elected president of the National Farmers’ Federation

Victorian grain and livestock producer David Jochinke has been elected president of the National Farmers’ Federation, succeeding Fiona Simson who steps down after seven years in the role.

By Newsroom

Fiona Simson on the future for farmers

As her tenure draws to a close, Fiona Simson has reflected on her seven years at the helm of the nation’s peak farmer lobby group.

By Newsroom

'Rollout rage’: the climate battle dividing regional Australia

In August, Victoria’s Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny made a decision that could set a difficult precedent for Australia’s effort to get to net-zero emissions by 2050. The decision shocked many clean energy developers.

By Peter Burnett

LISTEN: Your network is your net worth with Richard Rains

Knowledge sharing has long been part of the fabric of agriculture, but the weave looks a little different these days.

By Ben Law - The Financial Bloke

Rural Bank's latest farmland index: See how your region is performing

Rural Bank's latest survey of farmland values has shown transactions have fallen to their lowest level in 28 years, with the lender predicting flat or declining prices going forward.

By Jackson Hewett

CEF success story inspires critical new partnership with AuctionsPlus

AuctionsPlus Market Operator Team Leader and Country Education Foundation of Australia (CEF) alumni, Millie George, has given back to the foundation that supported her through her studies, by inspiring a new partnership that will see AuctionsPlus work together to support regional and rural youth and communities.

By Newsroom

AuctionsPlus CEO on first 2 months in the role

By AuctionsPlus

Irrigating Australia’s deserts won’t increase rainfall, new modelling shows

For generations, Australians have been fascinated with the idea of turning our inland deserts green with lush vegetation.

By Kaighin McColl

Fashioning a legacy through the generations

On just over 100 picturesque acres in Victoria’s Western District, there is a changing of the guard happening.

By Sponsored Content

LISTEN: Aligning families, growing wealth & protecting legacies with Chloe Arthur

Beyond operational handovers, Ben explores the intricate process of preparing the next generation to take over the family business (or resulting wealth) successfully.

By Ben Law - The Financial Bloke

Stud cattle sale results 28 September - 4 October

A rolling tally of cattle stud auctions interfaced by AuctionsPlus over the past week.

By Newsroom

34 trucks on way to Upper Hunter with 1200 bales of hay

A convoy of 34 trucks are well on their way to NSW’s Upper Hunter region loaded with hay valued at $114,000 to help farmers and their communities experiencing dry conditions and recovering from fires.

By Jac Taylor

The innovative livestock financier helping producers reach full capacity

As below-average market and seasonal conditions take hold of the livestock industry, producers are being urged to remember one key point they can take to the bank - the underlying fundamentals and long-term trend of the red meat industry is incredibly positive.

By Sponsored Content

Opinion: Australia is diverging from the world on carbon offsetting

We have seen significant income and impact generated in Australia both in voluntary carbon markets and under the Australian ACCU Scheme. As impressive as these results are, they also appear to be in contrast with carbon trends elsewhere in the world.

By J Matthew Pryor

Govt creating a socio-economic disaster "for the sake of crumbs from the activists' table"

Farmers are losing confidence in a government that is "marching to the beat of the activists' drum", with 23 industry groups making that clear in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday.

By Newsroom

Soil Survey: Your help needed

The University of Sydney and the Australian Farm Institute are undertaking research to deliver a process to measure human connectivity to soil. Although this is a key indicator of soil security, there is currently no way to measure this.

By Newsroom

USDA to pay $2.75 billion to weather affected farmers

The US Department of Agriculture has offered to compensate farmers who lost production due to wildfires and droughts over the past three years, with $US1.75 billion to be distributed.

By Jackson Hewett

Stud cattle sale results 21 Sept - 27 Sept

A rolling tally of cattle stud auctions interfaced by AuctionsPlus over the past week.

By Newsroom

Market Insights

Opinion: Is it time for farmers to work together?

Episode3 analyst Andrew Whitelaw has posed an idea that's "a bit lefty", but also "a sensible capitalist task" that could increase the resources of farmer representatives whilst potentially decreasing the impact of the cost of living for everyday Australians.

By Andrew Whitelaw

Ben Law: How listening to your intuition could save your life

Trudie Payne, with her husband Liam, manages a successful grazing operation in the heart of central Queensland. Her life took an unexpected turn in 2018 when she was diagnosed with one of the most aggressive forms of Melanoma despite being the picture of fitness, happiness, health and drive.

By Ben Law - The Financial Bloke

What widespread Varroa mite will mean for ag

The federal government body in charge of pest control has announced Australia will abandon efforts on eradicating the Varroa mite.

By Cooper Schouten

Albanese government faces uphill road and angry locals amid renewables rollout

Fire fear is gripping many Australians, with extremely high temperatures for September.

By Michelle Grattan

Costa Group agrees to discounted $1.5bn takeover

Listed fruit and vegetable company, Costa Group will go private after its board accepted a revised offer from US-based private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners for $3.20 per share.

By Jackson Hewett

Investors see 'natural capital' impacting farmland prices, communities

One of the country’s largest landholders has warned that the massive appetitive for investment into the carbon space is putting local communities on edge and risks overwhelming food production.

By Jackson Hewett

Absolute Angus sires a 'no brainer' purchase for commercial producers

Selecting and using the best genetics the industry has to offer each year is by no means a cheap endeavour, but it’s an investment that continues to pay dividends for Absolute Angus, the stud’s clients and, ultimately, the end consumer.

By Sponsored Content

Carbon project provider GreenCollar bought in $800m deal

GreenCollar, who designs and runs carbon abatement projects on behalf of landowners, has been sold to giant Canadian pension fund Ontario Teachers.

By Jackson Hewett

Stud cattle sale results: September 14 to 20

A rolling tally of all the results of sales interfaced by AuctionsPlus for the past week.

By Newsroom

Poll Dorset lambs ticking boxes in all market conditions

Having a product that will stand the test of time in all market conditions is easier said than done in the agriculture industry, but it appears lambs from Poll Dorset sires are ticking all the boxes.

By Sponsored Content

Why the NFF is bringing a Dutch farm activist to Australia

Mounting pressure on emissions reductions has pushed Dutch farmers to the brink, according to National Farmers' Federation CEO Tony Mahar, who says Australians have much to learn from the pushback.

By Newsroom

Property Roundup: Historic Holbrook station in $40m listing

Storied assets, premier irrigation country and an 82,000 hectare holding are leading the property pops this week: read on to see the pick of the listings.

By Newsroom

Stud cattle sale results: September 6 to Sept 13

A rolling tally of all the results of sales interfaced by AuctionsPlus for the past 10 days.

By Newsroom

Commodity prices and seasonal conditions driving industry confidence down

National rural confidence has dropped to the fourth-lowest level in two decades, as increasing concerns about lower commodity prices and the prospect of a return to drought conditions weighs on producers.

By Newsroom

Flower farmer named 2023 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award winner

Flower farmer, tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Grown Not Flown, Nikki Davey has been named the 2023 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award Winner for her work in creating a digital platform and app connecting flower farmers and consumers, globally.

By Newsroom

How current cattle, sheep and pig prices stack up against historic values

We’ve seen some big swings in cattle prices in Australia over the past few years and with updated consumer price indicators from the ABS for the June 2023 quarter, we are able to run the numbers on deflated cattle prices to see how current levels stack up to historic values, when we convert all the older prices to a current dollar value in $/head.

By Matt Dalgleish

Full list of this year's Nuffield Scholars

Nuffield Australia has announced a bumper crop of 2024 scholars, with five extra spaces added to the program thanks to the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund.

By Newsroom

Nalinga offers rare farm-buying opportunity on Flinders Island

A rare opportunity to secure prime grazing country on pristine Flinders Island has presented itself, with the listing of Nalinga.

By Hayley Kennedy

Ben Law: The future of the beef industry with David Foote, Paul Harker & Kari Moffatt

In the latest episode of The Financial Bloke, Ben sits down with David Foote, the President of Cattle Australia; Paul Harker, the Chief Commercial Officer of Woolworths; and Kari Moffat, the Sustainability Manager of AAM Investment Group and a member of the Australian Beef Sustainability Group Steering Group.

By Ben Law - The Financial Bloke

Indonesia lifts live export ban

Live exports of cattle to Indonesia can recommence following an agreement between Australian and Indonesian officials to resume trade.

By Jackson Hewett

Cattle Australia CEO Luke Bowen to step down due to health concerns

Luke Bowen, chief executive officer of Cattle Australia (CA), has resigned from his position due to health issues. His resignation is effective immediately.

By Newsroom

Stud cattle sale results: August 31 to September 5

A rolling tally of all the results of sales interfaced by AuctionsPlus for the past 10 days.

By Newsroom

Malaysia lifts suspension, Indonesia still deliberating on LSD report

Malaysia has lifted the temporary suspension of live cattle and buffalo exports from Australia, but Indonesia remains unmoved on the issue.

By Hayley Kennedy

New global report finds the cost of biological invasions is quadrupling every decade

Invasive alien species are driving biodiversity loss and extinctions in every country, all over the world.

By Andy Sheppard

Goat industry productivity bolstered by $3.7m genetics project

Helping goatmeat producers achieve productivity gains through informed genetic selection decisions in the same way beef and sheep producers can is among the key aims of a new $3.7 million research and development project.

By Newsroom

Australia's largest Case IH dealer bought by US-based Titan for $97m

Powerhouse dealer group Titan Machinery has entered the Australian market with an agreement to purchase O'Connors, in a cash deal reportedly worth US$63 million (A$97m).

By Newsroom

Blue-ribbon NSW holdings hit the market with hefty pricetags

Several high-quality holdings have hit the market in New South Wales in the past week, including the Singaporean-owned Wyuna, which is expected to attract offers in the $30 million range.

By Newsroom

Farmers to start feeling pressure to report on emissions

Coles’ recent announcement that it expects 75% of its suppliers by spend to set science-based emissions targets is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the incoming pressure on ag producers to report on their carbon footprint, according to a leading fund manager.

By Jackson Hewett

Why grain premiums are rising in South Queensland

It seems like the good times are coming to an end. We had two years of terrible drought, followed by three years of excellent production across most of Australia. It was only a matter of time, but it seems the times of high production are turning. ABARES is due to release an update in September; it will be for falling production.

By Andrew Whitelaw

'Covetable' Garnett SheepMaster parent stud hits the market

The opportunity to acquire control of the foundation genetics of a high-performing sheep breed has presented itself, with the Garnett SheepMaster Stud being brought to market.

By Newsroom

LambEx returning with AuctionsPlus as major partner

Australia’s largest sheep and lamb exhibition, LambEx, is set to return, with AuctionsPlus signing on as premium digital media partner.

By Jackson Hewett

Riding the market waves with top-quality progeny from Circle 8 sires

The old adage of ‘you can sell anything in a good market, but only quality sells in a bad one’ is well and truly on display in the current cattle market.

By Hayley Kennedy

Consumption declining, but support for red meat producers grows

Overall red meat consumption may be in decline due to cost, but perceptions about the industry are going in the opposite direction.

By Newsroom

Talbalba Kingswood T011 reigns supreme at $102,000

It was an emotional day at the office for Steve and Deb Reid at their Talbalba Herefords sale at Millmerran on Thursday, with the $102,000 sale of Talbalba Kingswood T011 (PP).

By AuctionsPlus

Biosecurity Levy: greater transparency needed

Producers can now have their say on how the Labor government's controversial new biosecurity protection levy should be applied.

By Hayley Kennedy

Earnings Season: What Coles and Woolies are seeing in food

Reporting season is in full swing with some of Australia's largest companies delivering their annual results to the market. Here's what Coles and Woolworths are revealing about their operations.

By Jackson Hewett

Consistency and rapid growth drives Poll Dorset demand

As sheep meat producers seek to improve the efficiency and productivity of their operations, one breed is emerging as a key to success.

By Newsroom

Iconic Trentham hits the market in Southern Tablelands region

One of the Goulburn district’s most iconic and highly-regarded rural holdings has hit the market, after five years of significant capital works by the current owners.

By Newsroom

Opinion: What Victoria's buyback rejection means for Murray-Darling Basin Plan

Federal Minister for Water Tanya Plibersek announced a new agreement to restore Australia’s largest and most important river basin. It comes just months before the original Murray-Darling Basin Plan was to be completed.

By Jamie Pittock

Argentina banned beef exports, then changed its mind

As the country faces rampant inflation amid a currency collapse, nervous officials banned beef exports for 15 days, before rolling the ban back.

By Jackson Hewett

Big-ticket holdings hit the market as banana and pork giants sell up

The rural property market is showing no signs of slowing down, with well-known families across Far North and southern Queensland among those bringing historic holdings to market this week.

By Newsroom

The fine art of producing an exceptional Wagyu eating experience

Consistently delivering premium returns and an exceptional eating experience, there’s no doubt Wagyu has earned favour with producers and consumers alike.

By Hayley Kennedy

How El Niño in SE Asia will affect commodity prices

A new report by Singapore-based investment bank DBS has concluded that an El Nino event will have a significant impact on the agricultural output of ASEAN countries, driving up food inflation.

By Jackson Hewett

BushAgri releases Top Studs index

Bush Agribusiness, the Toowoomba-based financial advisory firm behind the triennial Australian Beef Report, has released a new publication identifying what they believe are the country's top stud producers.

By Newsroom

AuctionsPlus appoints Wyn Snyman as CEO

Wyn Snyman has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of AuctionsPlus.

By Newsroom

Why Robert Mackenzie thinks Thunderstruck is the “bull of the century”

Robert Mackenzie surprised even himself by sending the all-breeds record into the stratosphere late last month.

By Jackson Hewett

WATCH: Why water could go to $200 a megalitre

Irrigators have been advised to start snapping up water as nervous farmers start stressing about El Niño. Ben Williams, Principal at Aither says that if drier than average conditions take hold prices could go much higher, even after a recent surge.

By Jackson Hewett

Rural property wrap: see the new average price per hectare in your state

Continued low transactions of rural property is pointing to strong confidence within Australian agriculture, even amid the pain of falling commodity prices and rising interest rates.

By Newsroom

LISTEN: The new depreciation rules affecting your next machinery upgrade

In this episode, we delve into the tax trap that will affect many farmers and graziers when purchasing new machinery.

By Ben Law - The Financial Bloke

Outstanding Woonallee Toronto T274 hits breed record $55,000

Another breed record has tumbled, this time at the Woonallee Simmentals bull sale at Tamworth on Wednesday.

By Hayley Kennedy

Rates on hold but debt management key

Interest rates may have stayed on hold for the second straight month, but leading agribusiness advisors say there's no time to wait for a financial review and reset.

By Jackson Hewett

Queensland Investment Corporation acquires final Packhorse Pastoral property

The last property in the Packhorse Pastoral Company portfolio has been acquired by Queensland Investment Corporation, in a deal reportedly worth upwards of $30 million.

By Newsroom

More bulls and lower average prices make for a buyer's market

The 'doom and gloom' cattle market and seasonal outlook doesn't appear to be putting a huge dampener on the bull market, with early spring sales off to a solid start.

By Hayley Kennedy

LSD detection 'no cause for concern', Indo trade remains open

The detection of lumpy skin disease in Australian cattle in Indonesia has been labelled as "no cause for concern", with government and industry groups reaffirming Australia remains free of the disease.

By Hayley Kennedy

The mental war on Australia's farmers

The recent Norco-commissioned National Farmers’ Federation report on National Farmer Wellbeing 2023 made me think about my own journey as a psychologist in rural Australia over the past 17 years.

By Chantal Corish

Texas Thunderstruck T383 sells for Australian all breeds record $360,000

The Mayne family has sold Texas Thunderstruck T383 for a whopping $360,000 to set a new Australian all breeds record.

By Hayley Kennedy

Australia lags as China dominates gene tech gains in ag

One of the world’s leading researchers into livestock genetics believes Australia, and much of the western world, is at risk of being left in China’s wake when it comes to advancing food production with gene editing.

By Jackson Hewett

Wheat prices rally 18% amid Black Sea turmoil

Wheat prices have rallied back to recent highs following further tensions in the Black Sea, however analysts say the market is a lot less concerned now than it was in 2022.

By Hayley Kennedy

Outstanding properties on offer, as premier holdings change hands on and off market

A large-scale dryland cropping portfolio located in the tightly-held Avon region of Western Australia has hit the market, with expectations it will generate offers of more than $35 million.

By Newsroom

LISTEN: How drones are transforming agriculture

A fourth-generation grazier from north-west Queensland and the founder of SkyKelpie, Luke Chaplain's expertise in drone mustering has made him a leading authority in the field.

By Ben Law - The Financial Bloke

Top AuctionsPlus assessors named

The assessors and their teams with the highest throughput on AuctionsPlus have been named, with the announcement of the AuctionsPlus Awards for the 2023 financial year.

By Newsroom

Greater focus on lamb eating quality imperative for market growth

The strong global demand for high quality sheepmeat and a sheep flock that has reached its highest level since 2007 has analysts pointing to the huge opportunities for Australian producers, but challenges abound too.

By Hayley Kennedy

US Dept. of Ag to invest $300m to track farm carbon emissions

$US300 million program to improve measurement and reporting of ag greenhouse gasses and carbon sequestration is like 'moving the deck chairs on the Titanic' unless it solves for methane and nitrogen, according to a leading expert on farm emissions.

By Jackson Hewett

Young agents thrive under Nutrien training

Alkira Riley loves helping people. The Nutrien Ag Solutions agent from Leongatha was always keen to get stuck in on the dairy farm run by her parents and grandmother, and that helping-hand attitude continues to motivate her today.

By AuctionsPlus

Aileron Station and Oolloo Farm on the market in central Australia

A large-scale cattle breeding and fodder production opportunity has hit the market in central Australia.

By Newsroom

LISTEN: Aligning family values for farm success

Business coach and co-founder of The Farm Owners Academy, Andrew Roberts, joined me in our latest episode for a fascinating discussion around the power of shared values in aligning families for success.

By Ben Law - The Financial Bloke

Climate change threatens to cause ‘synchronised harvest failures’

New evidence suggests climate-related changes to the jet stream could trigger simultaneous extreme weather events in multiple locations, with serious implications for global food security.

By Douglas Bardsley

EU trade deal stalls over beef, lamb access and naming restrictions

Pop open a Prosecco and fang on some Feta. The EU trade deal is blocatto.

By Jackson Hewett

Central Queensland graziers go beyond carbon neutral

The first Australian carbon credit units generated under a digitally enabled model have been issued to the Fysh Carbon Project at Mount Tom near Gladstone.

By Newsroom

Sheep flock flourishes post-drought to hit 78.75 million head

Australia’s sheep flock and its breeding ewe numbers have reached their highest levels since 2007, following three consecutive years of above-average rainfall in sheep regions.

By Newsroom

Attracting and retaining staff, as govt makes a ‘shambles’ of the workforce

As historically low unemployment rages on, concerns about the labour shortfall in regional Australia and how to attract and retain good staff are reaching a crescendo.

By Hayley Kennedy

Drought preparation and fire mitigation crucial ahead of El Nino event

As Australia stares down an impending summer of below average rainfall and possible heatwaves and bushfires, producers are being warned to prepare themselves as much as possible.

By Hayley Kennedy

Drought-resilient saltbush variety yielding greater wool and meat production

An elite variety of Oldman Saltbush that has yielded greater wool and meat production is being planted in the hundreds of thousands across Australia’s south-east this winter.

By Newsroom

Producer demonstration project exploring how soil carbon can contribute to CN30

Australia’s largest soil carbon project holder has put forward three properties for a research project looking at the viability of soil carbon farming across the country.

By Newsroom

Lawson Grains may convert some cropping areas to livestock

The massive Lawson Grains portfolio, with 90,000 hectares across NSW and WA, may see some of its cropping land converted to livestock production as owner New Forests looks to drive asset appreciation via natural capital improvements.

By Jackson Hewett

Rates on hold but more pain to come, as experts say cashflow is critical

The decision by the Reserve Bank to hold interest rates steady this month would have been a relief to many, but producers are under no illusions that we've seen the peak.

By Hayley Kennedy

Torrumbarry Farms Aggregation expected to make over $60 million

An institutional-scale irrigated mixed farming and horticultural development opportunity in the Loddon Mallee region of northern Victoria has hit the market, bringing with it significant water entitlements.

By Newsroom

Telstra inks deal with Starlink to improve rural connectivity

Telstra has signed an agreement with Elon Musk's Starlink in a bid to improve connectivity options for rural and remote customers in Australia.

By Newsroom

The Murray-Darling Basin shows why the ‘social cost of water’ concept won’t work

A 'social cost of water' proposes valuing all types of water, including rain. But it is incredibly difficult to measure, let alone enforce.

By Sarah Ann Wheeler