Hopeful bidders line up for farm

Enquiries are flooding in about sale of irrigated Hopetown farm with fertiliser station and mixing plant

THREE fragments of rocks retrieved from the moon by a Soviet space mission in 1970 were sold for $855 000 (about R11.6 million) at a recent New York auction.

Sotheby’s auction house said the “moon rocks” – the only known documented lunar matter privately owned – were offered for sale by an unidentified private American collector who purchased them at an auction in 1993 for $442500.

Sotheby’s said the buyer was another private American collector, but the person’s name was not disclosed.

The fragments range in size from about 2mm by 2mm to 1mm by 1mm. VAN’S Auctioneers will conduct a public auction of the prestigious Granary Normandien farm, located on the banks of the Orange River just outside of Hopetown, at noon on February 27, offering farmers and investors a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to acquire “a superb farming operation”.

Johan van Eyk of Van’s Auctioneers says: “We have been inundated with enquiries from prospective purchasers as a farm like this one rarely becomes available on auction. We anticipate this event will be the highlight auction of 2019.”

The farm measures almost 3 800ha in extent, with water rights for irrigation from the Orange River of just above 1600ha per annum. There are also just over 1600ha under centre pivot.

A pecan nut orchard was established three years ago. The orchard currently measures about 170ha and could be expanded to about 800ha, Van Eyk says. In addition, the farm offers just over 2 000ha of natural grazing land.

The water from the Orange River, which is very clean and of high quality, is pumped by nine main pumps (each with three lift pumps) to a catchment dam which measures about 14ha in extent, he says.

“From there it is pumped either directly to some of the pivots, or to pump stations and then onto fields under pivot. The fields are irrigated by about 54 centre pivots.”

The farm currently maximises output with crop rotation between maize and wheat. Soya beans are planted as well. The first pecan nut trees are expected to come into production within approximately the next two years.

The farm has its own fertiliser plant and mixing station, from where the correct volume of fertiliser is mixed into the water before being pumped to the pivots. It also has a compost-producing field under a pivot.

Improvements include offices, workshops, sheds, garages, workers’ houses and five other houses. All the farm implements and other movable assets that are used in this farming operation will also be offered as one lot, firstly on their own and then with the farm as a going concern, Van Eyk says.

For more details, see www.vansauctions.co.za or call Van’s Auctioneers on 086 111 8267.

The fields at the Hopetown farm are irrigated by about 54 centre pivots. Water is pumped from the Orange River to a 14ha catchment dam on the farm that will be auctioned this month.