County farm on the market

A well appointed, productive dairy/mixed farm in an elevated position overlooking north Shropshire countryside is on the market with Berrys with a guide of £1,725,000.

Cliffe Grange, Buntingsdale, near Market Drayton, extends to 245.91 (99.52 hectares) and has a large, four-bedroom farmhouse in excellent condition.

The holding is currently run as a 160-cow dairy, sheep and arable holding and includes a large range of modern livestock buildings, a range of traditional brick-and-tile buildings, a 16/16 milking parlour and a spacious four-bedroom farmhouse. The farmstead is situated in an elevated position with views over the surrounding pastureland.

"Cliffe Grange offers a rare opportunity to purchase a working commercial dairy and arable farm with a substantial farmhouse and extensive range of farm buildings," said Chris Jones who is handling the sale for Berrys at Shrewsbury.

"We are expecting a lot of interest locally and also from buyers further afield wishing to buy an established unit in the heart of a dairying area in north Shropshire."

Berrys is selling the farm by private treaty as a whole or in three lots.

Lot 1: The house and farm buildings plus 107.19-acre productive block of mainly level pasture land and two small areas of woodland.

Lot 2: 78.67 acres of productive arable land with excellent road frontage classified as Grade II with a soil type Newport 1, a deep well-drained sandy and course loamy soil which is suitable for the growing of cereals, fodder beet and potatoes.

Lot 3 comprises 60.05 acres of flat Grade II arable land with good road frontage in a single enclosure. The soil type is also Newport 1.

The land is connected to mains water and benefits from a water abstraction licence from the River Tern for spray irrigation. Should the farm be sold in lots, the licence will be split accordingly, subject to agreement from the Environment Agency.

Cliffe Grange offers a well-equipped milking parlour with an excellent range of livestock and storage buildings. The slurry tower at the farm provides storage for 450,000 gallons which is approximately three months storage on the current dairy system. The buildings are situated to the west of the farmhouse and are arranged around concrete and hardstanding areas.

All of the land at Cliffe Grange lies within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone and the farm is entered into the Entry Level Stewardship Scheme, which runs from February 1, 2007 to January 31, 2012. Single Payment Scheme entitlements will be transferred to the purchaser upon completion, subject to the Rural Payments Agency's transfer regulations.

The purchaser will have the option to purchase the wholesale milk quota, which is 1,102,086 litres at butterfat 3.95 per cent.

* For further details or to view the property contact Chris Jones or Sarah Rawlins at Berrys on 01743 271697.