February 1, 2019

Aussie agricultural investment company Tiverton Agriculture has partnered with the Nature Conservancy to acquire two cattle stations along the Murrumbidgee River in New South Wales through a record breaking deal.

The Juanbung and Boyong cattle stations, which total 33,000 hectares of prime grazing land and include the Great Cumbung Swamp wetlands, have been acquired from Melbourne businessman Tim Roberts-Thompson for $55 million. The properties are used for backgrounding for up to 10,000 head of cattle, which then get shipped to nearby feedlots each year.

Led by Nigel Sharp and Harry Youngman, Tiverton Agriculture is a subsidiary of Orana Agriculture, (also founded by Nigel Sharp and Harry Youngman along with partner Andrew Hanson in 2016), which acquired Sunland Fresh Fruit, one of the largest privately-owned fruit growing operations in Australia, for A$20 million (US$14.2 million). All told, Sunland included 363 hectares of orchards, production facilities, and shedding assets spread across seven properties, growing peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, persimmons, pears, and apples which are predominantly sold on the Australian market, with a smaller portion being exported to China.

As an investment firm with an environmental focus, once the deal is closed, Tiverton plans to have the properties center around sustainable agriculture and conservancy.

“It will be a grazing operation, while caring for the native vegetation,” said Sharp.

The $55 million deal, which is aiming to prove that agriculture and conservation can co-exist, will act to protect the Great Cumbung Swamp, and is being recognized as the highest value private land purchase to include a conservation goal in New South Wales.

“One of the reasons that we’ve made this purchase is because more needs to be done,” said Rich Gilmore, regional director of the Nature Conservancy. Government can’t do everything and so we really think the private sector has a role to play.”

The Great Cumbung will be managed in connection with the 87,000-hectare Gayini Nimmie-Caira property which was acquired by the New South Wales government in 2012, and is currently being managed by the Nature Conservancy and the Nari Nari Tribal Council. And it is hoped that this hybrid deal involving both for-profit sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation can the potential of a hybrid management model.

“It’s a great way of demonstrating across the Murray-Darling Basin that agriculture and nature don’t always have to be in conflict,” said Gilmore.

-Lynda Kiernan