As the sector commences what promises to be an extended upswing, a rare opportunity has arisen to purchase an exceptional and superbly located Waikato dairy farm.
Richard Wright and Peter Wylie of PGG Wrightson Real Estate have listed the 168-hectare farm 13 kilometres east of Cambridge. Richard says the property combines scale, versatility, and future potential.
“This property has been astutely farmed to optimise its productivity as a dairy unit. Additionally, a new owner stands to gain some inviting alternative options,” he says.
Current owner Roger Blunt has had a varied farming journey, culminating in his 15-year tenure on this farm.
“My family were dairy farmers, though I started as a livestock agent, then went to farm sheep and cattle, then horticulture, before eventually coming back to dairy,” says Roger.
Eight years on a Northland dairy farm set Roger up for the opportunity he took on in 2010.
“I was born nearby, though never dreamed I’d own a Waikato dairy farm. This had plenty of potential. With greater focus on pasture and fertility, I could see how it was going to produce more milk,” he says.
Nutrition was the key. Amalgamated, the property was previously two separate farms, one that had not been used as a milking platform for the preceding 12 years. Roger set about increasing fertility and inputs to maximise production to 306,000 kilograms of milk solids. Family has played a part, with Roger’s son and daughter-in-law taking up sharemilking positions. More recently, prompted by the then overall outlook, he deliberately dropped cow numbers to around 450.
“With returns where they are now, a new owner who knows what they are doing could potentially dial back up to maximum production: the farm’s upside remains,” says Roger.
On ash over clay soils, neighbouring land use change illustrates the farm’s versatility and potential. Historically it sits in a dry stock dairying and lifestyle area. Some local properties feature equine establishments. Kiwifruit is successfully produced in the district, and a new owner could carve out a portion of the farm for development. Several steeper gullies at the rear of the property, comprising 12 to 15 hectares, also offer other opportunities.
Meanwhile, the immediate vicinity is the locale for some of the country’s highest quality lifestyle developments, focused around Cambridge and nearby Lake Karapiro.
“With easy access to Lake Karapiro, our family has been heavily involved in watersports since we’ve lived here,” says Roger.
Sitting on a gentle rise, the beautifully maintained and immaculately presented four-bedroom homestead, built in 2010, provides comfort and style in a tranquil rural setting that Roger and wife Jo have enjoyed immensely.
Recently refurbished throughout, its elevation commands 360-degree vistas across the rolling countryside to Te Awamutu, Pirongia, Maungatautari and as far away as the Raglan hills. These views alone set the farm apart from almost any other dairy property, though Roger reckons its proximity is even more difficult to beat.
“That’s what I’ll most miss when I move on: an easy run to Hamilton, Rotorua and Tauranga, then a little further to Taupo. And being just off the end of the Waikato Expressway, not even so far to Auckland. Which doesn’t even account for what Cambridge has to offer.
“With grandchildren on the farm, the quality of schooling at Cambridge High, plus its middle school and supporting primary schools, is difficult to beat. They all have good reputations, let alone St Peters,” Roger reckons.
Richard Wright expects keen buyer competition for the farm.
“Commodity prices are higher than they have been for at least a generation, on top of which interest rates are dropping, and banks are showing greater willingness to lend to the rural sector. This is an ideal time to buy, and few properties on the present market have as many outstanding features as this one,” he says.
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