Well-equipped Somerset dairy farm on offer

A well-invested Somerset dairy farm comes to the market through retirement. Hare Farm at Buckland St Mary near Chard has 54.4ha (134.5 acres) of level and gently sloping productive pasture with good tracks and road frontage.

Stags‘ Alex Rew has put a £1.5m guide price on the holding, which may be available on a “lock, stock and barrel” basis, depending on the timing of the sale.

The current owners milk about 160 Montbéliardes, averaging about 7,500 litres a cow. A further 60 acres of grazing is taken nearby and maize is grown elsewhere on contract. The farm’s milk currently goes to Tesco via a Wiseman contract.

The modern parlour building houses a 12:24 Westfalia swing-over parlour with ACRs, in parlour feeders and auto flush. Cow accommodation includes 166 cubicles and there are four silage clamps and separate slurry and dirty water lagoons.

As well as the four-bedroom period flint farmhouse, footings have been laid for a secondary three-bedroom farmhouse, with an agricultural occupancy condition attached to the planning permission.

Traditional buildings offer scope for development or alternative uses while further farm buildings include a dutch barn, hay store and machinery shed, covered yards, covered collecting area and calf housing.

The farm’s SFP in 2011 was from 52.94 entitlements which are included in the sale with the 2012 payment to be split pro rata on the completion date.

The 1.025m litres of 4.025% butterfat milk quota are available separately. (Stags 01392 680 059)