Grain Central | 17 March 2025
Mormon Church buys three-farm North Star Aggregation
Linda Rowley
Harvesting canola on the North Star Aggregation. Photo: LAWD
THE Utah-based Mormon Church has added a large-scale dryland cropping operation in the renowned Golden Triangle region of northern New South Wales to its growing Australian agricultural portfolio.
The 5694ha North Star Aggregation, 45km north of Moree and 55km from Goondiwindi, formed part of the 23,595ha One Tree Portfolio offered in June last year by Proterra Investment Partners, with hopes of raising more than $250 million.
The remaining two southern Queensland aggregations, the 7934ha Umbercollie north-west of Goondiwindi and the 9966ha Jandowae on the Northern Downs, are still listed for sale.
LAWD agents Danny Thomas and Elizabeth Doyle were unable to confirm the buyer or the price, but said the North Star Aggregation had sold and settled and were happy with the outcome.
In August last year, Alkira Farms, a subsidiary of US-based and Mormon Church-owned global agricultural investment company Farmland Reserve paid more than $350M for southern Queensland’s 26,855ha Worral Creek Aggregation.
The Worral Creek Aggregation included 65,900ML of water entitlements, to make it one of Australia’s largest privately owned irrigation and dryland-farming enterprises.
The North Star Aggregation is close to grain-handling facilities at Moree and Goondiwindi and cotton gins at Moree and Goondiwindi.
Around 5296ha, or 93 percent, is arable and capable of producing wheat, barley, canola and chickpeas throughout the winter months, with the opportunity for cotton and sorghum during the summer months.
The farming country is level to slightly undulating brigalow, belah and wilga plains boasting black and brown self-mulching clay soils and areas of red brown clay loams.
Amalgamated over seven years, the North Star Aggregation comprises three separate properties within a 6km radius of one another, namely:
- Marlow: 2204ha with 2080ha, or 94pc, arable. Infrastructure includes a cottage, a shed, and 18,100 tonnes of grain silo storage.
- Kirewa: 2269ha with 2049ha, or 90pc, arable. Infrastructure includes a home, numerous sheds, and cattle yards.
- Calrossie: 1221ha or 1167ha, or 96pc, arable. Infrastructure includes two homes, cattle yards, a shed, 240t of fertiliser storage, and 3428t of silo storage.
