When other parts of the country were in the grip of a drought, Kowhitirangi kept growing grass without irrigation and farms continued to achieve good production.
The 140ha farm in the middle of the picturesque valley is for sale at $4.2 million and has been operating under management for the past three seasons for an absentee owner, Greg Daly of Greg Daly Real Estate said.
“He’s had good staff with a good manager and because it’s a tidy farm in a good area, it’s a safe investment.”
The Kowhitirangi Valley lies inland from Hokitika and provides the calendar snapshot of lush farmland dotted with aged kahikatea trees and the Southern Alps as a backdrop. It’s also where the first dairy farms were established on the West Coast because of its reliable rainfall and flat valley floor.
“It’s a traditional area perceived as one of the better areas on the West Coast for dairying because of its good average rainfall. Not too much and not too little and so no irrigation needed there.”
The farm has been producing just over 1000kg MS/ha and that includes wintering the cows on the farm and producing all its grass supplements, Daly said. About 250 tonnes of silage is made each year, along with 130 bales of balage.
“They winter 340 cows on grass, with a standoff pad used when it’s needed. And it makes a lot of silage and balage, so it’s genuine production.
“One of the good things about the farm is that it’s in the middle of the valley, so there may be opportunity in the future to add to it when neighbouring farms come on to the market.”
A hundred hectares lies on one side of the road with an underpass connecting it to another 40ha and together they form a well-shaped farm that is well-raced, Daly said.
Races lead to the 20-aside dairy, with a pit large enough for 22, and a yard for 320 cows. Meal feeders are installed in the dairy, with cows fed pellets when needed through the season. The standoff pad beyond the dairy has feeders along the outside with good tractor access alongside for filling the bins. From the central hub, the farm spreads out over 64 flat paddocks that have had substantial regrassing on the Hokitika silts in recent years by the current owner, who has had it for three years, and the previous owner.
Likewise, fertility has been well cared for during that time.
“There’s been a fair bit of regrassing in the last few years and there’s still a bit of upsizing in the farm. It’s not a farm maxed out, that’s for sure.”
Calving begins on August 1 and the season continues through to the end of May, though Daly said Westland Milk Products was now picking up milk through winter, which created options for farmers in the region who might consider winter milking. About 270 of the high-producing crossbred herd are for sale at valuation as well as 50 rising one-year-old heifers.
The youngstock are the only animals grazed off the farm. The farm has the full set of support buildings including a new three-bay implement and hayshed, two calf sheds and other implement and multi-purpose sheds. It also has a concrete silage bunker for the silage made on the farm each year.
Accommodation is catered for in two houses, with a five-bedroom homestead set in landscaped grounds and a three-bedroom brick cottage.
“A lot of investors now look at the West Coast for its rainfall that is pretty much guaranteed through the year. This is a good tidy, low-cost farm and I see it as a good, safe investment opportunity.
“Another good thing about it is that it’s handy to Hokitika, about 25 minutes, so it’s well located.”
The sale includes 140,360 Westland Milk Products shares. For further information contact Daly on 0274 783 594 or a/h 03 762 6463, or Mike Curragh on 027 959 1267 or a/h 03 768 0213. The property can be viewed at www.gregdalyrealestate.co.nz.
