A circa 87ac residential farm located at Corfeyhone, Poles, Co Cavan goes to auction next week and is sure to garner plenty of interest.

Of the 67 farms to arrive onto the market in Cavan throughout 2016, 50 of these consisted of 40 acres or less, according to the Land Price Report 2016. So when an 87ac parcel situated in one block comes to the market you can be sure it will raise a few eyebrows in the process. Traditionally used as a dairy farm, in more recent years a suckler to beef enterprise has been run on the farm.

I took time out to see the farm last week, and I was glad I did. From walking the network of farm roadways between the impeccably tended yards it is obvious to see that the current owner is a tidy operator who takes a lot of pride in his farm, and rightly so. The infrastructure in place is that of a dairy farm adapted to beef production. The farm is set up as a one-man operation to ensure easy management of livestock and pasture alike. One thing is for sure, there are many beef farmers that could learn a thing or two from the layout of this farm.

Five-bedroom farmhouse

The residence is well set back from the roadway offering good privacy, with the house itself being serviced by two entrance lanes. The house is an imposing five-bedroom detached farmhouse in excellent condition. It has been totally refurbished and modernised in recent years. There is also a good range of storage buildings adjacent to the house itself.

The farmyard is split between two locations a couple of hundred metres apart, connected by an internal farm roadway. Part of the farm yard to the rear of the residence is comprised of a four span round roof dry shed which has cubicle accommodation for 32 cows. Adjoining this is another large four span round roof shed which has the walls adapted to support a silage pit. The second farmyard has a four span apex roof slatted shed with a total of eight pens, the shed also has a creep area on one side. A calf rearing shed with eight pens is also in place alongside a 25m x 10m silage pit.

Rolling hills

The land itself is typical of the area and predominantly consists of rolling hills which require a greater degree of management. It is obvious from walking the farm that by using the infrastructure already in place, grazing livestock intensively is achievable.

The land, all currently in pasture, is laid out in one block, however there is a country land that divides some of the parcels. For this reason the property is being offered in the entire or in smaller lots. The main lot consists of the residence on the surrounding circa 61 acres, which encompasses all farm buildings.

All the other lots are located across the road from the main block and include lots of circa 10.9 acres, circa 7.4 acres and circa 2.19 acres. The final lot of circa 6 acres, while predominantly in grass, also comes with an old stone building. All lots have easy access and ample road frontage.

Water is provided to both the farm and the residence by the way of a farm well, however mains water would also be an option if desired.

The land is sure to be of interest to neighbouring farmers, still it could also potentially suit a dairy farmer to operate as an out farm for silage production and to raise young stock. The property is only located 3km away from the N3 Cavan to Dublin road and 3.5km away from Cavan town. The property may be appealing to somebody working in Cavan who wishes to live in the countryside.

The entire is being guided at €950,000 when it goes to auction on 7 July in the Hotel Kilmore, Cavan. The sale is being handled by Martin J O’Reilly of O’Reilly Taylor and Tweedy, Main Street Cavan.

The recurring theme of a farmer retiring from the industry, without anyone to take over is a worrying trend throughout the property landscape. If younger farmers do not see the land as a viable career path, then you can guarantee that over the next 10 years there will be a lot more whole farms coming to the market.