Ross-shire farm offers 700 acres of arable land

Ross-shire sees the launch of what is likely to be one of the key arable farm sales in Scotland this year. Vendor David Houghton is selling to move closer to family in the south and to pursue other interests.

Meddat Farm with land at Tarbat, Kildary, is on the market for offers of for more than £4.5m for its 1,006 acres.

Arable accounts for the vast majority of the land at 704 acres, while there is also eight acres of permanent pasture and 68 acres of rough grazing. The 207 acres of woodland makes up the rest of the offering.

Meddat Farm and the land at Tarbat are farmed as one an intensive arable unit achieving good yields under a contract farming agreement with a nearby farmer. This expires in October. Cropping policy is based on a four-crop rotation with distilling varieties of winter wheat and spring malting barley with break crops of winter oilseed rape and potatoes.

The farm has a seven or eight-bedroom farmhouse, two farm cottages and a three-bedroom house as well as a building plot with planning consent. Traditional and modern buildings include a modern grain dryer and storage for 2,000t. Most of the land is Grade 2 and 3 and is mainly flat.

The farm is split into six lots with the main one including Meddat Farm and almost 618 acres along with the house, two cottages and the farm buildings for £2.95m. The land in this lot includes 452 acres of arable, almost 130 acres of woodland and small areas of permanent pasture and rough grazing. (Strutt & Parker 0131 226 2500)