Ferndale Station; which is located North of Hunterville on the Turakina Valley Road and comprising 1,741 hectares; has sold. Offers were invited by the 31st May, and Bayleys Rangitikei agent Pete Stratton reports that the Station was sold after receiving lots of interest from throughout both the North and South Islands. He says four offers were received for the Station and most of the offers were very competitive, with the successful offer being around 30% above current Rateable Valuations.
Co-agent Bayleys Andrew Bonnor says the successful purchasers are a local farming family with strong ties to the district.
The fact that to date only two families have ever farmed Ferndale Station is testament to the productivity and reliability of the hill country. For much of the station's farming history, it was part of Walter Fernie's landholdings that stretched from the northern Rangitikei through to Wanganui. The Lilburn family took up the reins over 30 years ago, and has since invested significant capital to create the highly-productive property that it is today.
Bonnor says the Lilburns can be proud of how they have passed on the property. "Aesthetically it's a stunning property with both the Turakina River and Mangamahu Streams running through, and overlooking the station is a stunning character homestead that has been well maintained over many years. From all accounts people enjoy working and living on this farm.”
According to Stratton, the combination of scale, location, fertility of soils, quality improvements and natural supply of water made the station a rare farming opportunity.
"Ferndale is dominated by Turakina silt loam soils which are one of the few hill soils described as fertile. The Lilburn family have put in tracks, subdivision and cleared it to become an attractive and well maintained property that the successful purchaser can take over with confidence."
The station currently winters over 8,000 ewes which are a composite of Romney and Kelso that are mated with Romney, Romney-Texel or Kelso Ranger black-face rams. Ewes average 135% lambing success, while 1,000 mated hoggets achieve 75%.
Stratton says the Lilburn family, with a manager at the helm, has run a very simple system, with many male lambs sold on farm in early January so they can concentrate on putting weight on ewes for tupping. Yearling steers are purchased between August and April, wintered as rising two year olds while 18-month-old heifers are purchased in April/May, wintered, then run with the bull from the beginning of December and sold vetted in calf during May. "It's a very simple system that is designed for ease of management to give reliable performance from a low-cost system."
Ferndale stock has a reputation for quality, evidenced by the support for the store lamb sale held on the station in conjunction with neighbouring Drysdale Station. The sale is held in the station's large covered-yard complex.
"In the centre of the North Island you get very few stations that become available of this size and quality and that's testament to the productivity of this hill country. Properties here are tightly held."