‘For sale’ sign on 10 more farms
State-owned farmers Landcorp is quitting 10 more farms totalling about 11,650ha.
Sales in excess of $50,000 per hectare for farms in North, Central and Mid Canterbury, were recorded in October, with others pending at similar values.
Dairy farms in the South Island are fetching over $50,000/ha, a sign that the sector is rebounding.
Sales in excess of $50,000 per hectare for farms in North, Central and Mid Canterbury, were recorded in October, with others pending at similar values.
Tim Gallagher, PGG Wrightson Real Estate, Ashburton believes the dairy market is rebounding towards all time high levels.
Gallagher recently sold a 298ha farm located between Ashburton and Geraldine for over $50,000/ha.
"This property is based on a hybrid calving system with productivity through long days-in-milk. Management of the 1100 cow farm is aided by a stall barn and a loafing barn, which enhance both production and environmental sustainability.
"Market response to the property was excellent. We received five offers within two weeks, and had the farm under contract quickly, to the satisfaction of both vendor and purchaser, through clearly leaving unmet demand from the offers that were not successful," says Gallagher.
Dairy listings are up almost 300% on the same time last year.
The recent upgrade to Fonterra's milk price forecast and banks' appetite to support the primary sector rising are helping sales.
"Our vendors are reacting to those signals, in some cases after several years of waiting for the right time to exit. Based on completed recent sales and ongoing negotiations on current listings, that time has arrived: dairy property values are firm at levels close to the market's all-time peak, previously reached in 2013," says PGG Wrightson Real Estate's Calvin Leen.
New Zealand's new Special Agricultural Trade Envoy, Horowhenua dairy farmer, company director and former Minister of Agriculture, Nathan Guy says the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India is a good deal for the country.
New figures show dairy farmers are not only holding on to their international workforce, but are also supporting those staff to step into higher-skilled roles on farm.
New tractor deliveries for 2025 jumped 10% compared to the previous year, a reflection of the positive primary sector outlook, according to the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA).
Entries have opened for two awards in the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) programme, aimed at helping young farmers progress to farm ownership.
Federated Farmers has confirmed interim chief executive Mike Siermans to the role.
Registrations are now open for the 2026 Ruralco Golf Classic, with all proceeds from the event set to support the Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust.
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