A former market gardening operation now fully converted into a highly productive dairy farm and supporting cropping unit in the Eastern Bay of Plenty has been placed on the market for sale.

The 153.9-hectare property at Otakiri some 24-kilometres west of Whakatane milks a herd of between 410-430 cows to produce between 133,000-153,186 kilogrammes of milk solids annually, while also producing maize and silage for the herd.

The farm is made up of seven freehold land titles – all with a flat topography and linked by an extensive and high-quality network of crushed-lime races – with the maize and silage grown on a pair of 7.5-hectare blocks within the property.

Farm building infrastructure on the Otakiri property consists of:

• A modern 20-aside double up milking shed with drafting system and fully-automated cup removers
• A large fully-lined high-stud herd shelter shed capable of housing the entire milking herd if required
• A separate calf-rearing shed
• An effluent treatment pond with travelling irrigator spreading system consented to take up to 28 cubic metres of waste wash daily
• A five-bay implement shed with three-phase power supply and a separate brick workshop and older style barn
and
• A palm kernel/fertiliser bin along with two meal silos, and a five-tonne molasses tank.

Meanwhile, accommodation dwellings on the farm consist of homes located around the property - and each with their own separate driveways off Grieve Road, Otakiri Road and Hallett Road. The trio of dwellings comprise a recently renovated and modernised five-bedroom main homestead with office space, and a pair of comfortable three-bedroom staff homes – both with garages.

Now the freehold farm property at 121 Grieve Road in Otakiri is being marketed for sale by tender through Bayleys Whakatane, with the tender process closing on November 5. Salesperson Rhys Mischefski said the farm’s soils had been consistently well fertilised over the years to ensure high growth rates for both the deep-rooted grasses and the feed crops.

“The production of feed crops on-site, combined with above-average grass production figures sustained by fertile soils and access to good irrigation, all combine to ensure milk solids are produced year-on-year at high levels,” Mischefski said.

“Good drainage and a mild climate are also factors contributing to the property’s production levels.

“A huge investment in top-of-the range infrastructure has future-proofed this farm for years to come. For example, water for irrigation is drawn through a consented 91-metre deep bore supplying a centre pivot and lateral pods servicing some 75 hectares with access of up to 24,500 cubic metres of water per week, with a further 30 hectares irrigated from reticulated wash water sourced from the Fonterra plant in nearby Edgecumbe.”

In addition to the milking herd of approximately 420 cows, the property also carries a small number of young stock and service bulls. The farm paddocks are predominantly segregated by post and baton fencing, with well-formed mature hedging in some parts of the property.

Mischefski said the property operated an extensive pasture renewal fertilisation programme through annual application of nitrogen in addition to the effluent spread. The farm’s 50-plus paddocks were mostly regular rectangular shaped.

Until the late 1980s, part of the farm was a market garden operation producing a range of vegetables, with the rest of the block run as a dairying unit. The area in and around Otakiri is currently undergoing a resurgence in horticultural sector activities – with smaller landholdings of fertile land being replanted in avocados and kiwifruit.

“With a long-standing history of market gardening activity on the site through its fertile soil and good drainage, there is certainly the potential for converting some of the 15 hectares of existing feed crops into avocado or kiwifruit orchards for additional diversification,” Mischefski said.

Further information can be found here.