A current dearth of quality listings in the versatile northern NSW cropping belt, coupled with the recent seasonal reversal, is expected to ensure a good buyer turnout to next month’s Moree auction of “Brooklyn”.
Situated near Gravesend, about 65 kilometres east of Moree and 40km west of Warialda, “Brooklyn” is the property of Ron Caccianiga, who moved there in 1979 from an irrigation farm at Finley, in the Riverina.
Before that, he farmed in the Victorian Mallee, but now he is moving east for a change of landscape, and “Brooklyn” has been listed for August 26 auction by Moree Real Estate.
The property’s substantial size, at 1510 hectares (3733ac), and favoured location in a region of productive soils, reliable rainfall and year-round cropping capability, make “Brooklyn” an attractive proposition for an investor or an expanding farm business.
Although now worked mainly as a cattle breeding operation, the property has a diverse and successful production history that includes sheep, cattle trading and cash cropping.
The length of ownership tenure usually tells a story, and it’s worth noting that before the present owner (who has held the property for 37 years), “Brooklyn” was owned by Jack and Sadie Waters for 33 years.
“Brooklyn” is described as gently sloping to undulating country, composed of red and chocolate basalt soils with some intrusions of lighter types in the hillier areas.
Original timber comprised brigalow, kurrajong, box, ironbark and pine.
About 970ha of the total area is arable, of which 570ha is planted to sub-tropical pastures and 280ha to oats, clover, vetches and brassicas.
The balance is natural grazing. All of the improved pasture country was topdressed with single super in March.
Average rainfall is 675 millimetre and the property is well watered by three equipped bores reticulating to 12 paddock troughs, backed up by a semi-permanent creek and 23 dams.
Like the rest of the district, “Brooklyn” is in full post-drought recovery mode following good falls of 100mm-plus in June, and above-average temperatures in July, resulting in unusually strong mid-winter pasture growth.
After taking over “Brooklyn”, Mr Caccianiga initially retained a sheep enterprise on the property, supplemented by cash cropping and cattle trading.
More recently he has focused on pasture establishment to underpin an Angus breeding operation.
He estimates the property should support 500 cows, and in favourable seasons he retains the progeny, growing them out to turn-off weights of around 400kg for the local feedlot market.
The property is subdivided into 24 main paddocks with access laneways, feeding into the all-steel cattle yards which incorporate a covered working area with CIA vet crush.
Other working structures include a four-bay machinery shed with workshop, three-stand shearing shed, 200 tonnes of self-emptying silo storage and stables with water connected and concrete wash bay.
The main homestead has four bedrooms is complemented by a second four-bedroom home, both set in established gardens with garage.
Mr Caccianiga said both homesteads were in good condition.
An adjoining property sold some time ago for $2500/ha ($1000/ac), and upward movements in the market since then indicate a likely price range closer to $3000/ha ($1200/ac) for “Brooklyn”.