103-acre dairy farm offers tempting value

The property comes with a substantial house as well as several outbuildings.

Aerial view of the 103-acre farm for sale with Pomeroy Auctioneers near Millstreet, Co Cork.

The land in North Cork close to the border with County Kerry is a mixed agricultural zone where dairying is still the dominant activity but where the beef cattle is also vibrant.

With busy market towns like Millstreet, Newmarket and Kanturk, there is a very forward-looking agricultural scene; an area of solid economic building blocks in the agri-food business, which is closely associated with the foundation of the co-operative movement.

A 103-acre farm new to the market with Millstreet-based auctioneers Dick Pomeroy & Co fits the bill, therefore, for the kind of farm that will surely attract some strong suitors – for the rarity of its size as well as for the overall quality of the land.

“It is very good land,” says selling agent Catherine Pomeroy of the property, which is in the townland of Clonbanin West, approximately 10km north of Mallow on the N72. “It has been used for ‘zero grazing’ for the last number of years.”

The practice of zero grazing (where cuts of grass are taken from the land and brought to the cattle rather than letting the cattle graze on the pasture) is unusual for Ireland but it augurs well for the condition of the lands which, the agent says, is excellent.

“It’s an executor sale,” says Catherine, “And it has excellent road frontage. It has road frontage onto the N72 (Killarney-Waterford national route) as well as onto a side road.”

This side road is the L1101 to Newmarket, 12km away. Kanturk is a similar distance away, as is Banteer, while Boherbue village is 5km to the northwest.

The property comes with a substantial house – a traditional two-storey property in sound condition but in need of renovation – as well as a number of outbuildings, which include a hay shed, an obsolete milking parlour and a cubicle shed with 36 cubicles.

“I would say that there is potential there for it to revert back to operating as a dairy farm,” says Catherine. The holding is new to the market so the reaction is difficult to gauge just yet, but she confirms that there is interest already being shown both from farming interests and from investor interest.

With a price guide of €1,000,000 (€10,000/acre), it will represent very tempting value to a number of people.