Sector guide · Turf farms
Customer mix and contracted work
Turf sells into landscapers, builders, developers, councils, sporting facilities and direct retail. Each behaves differently.
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Turf sells into landscapers, builders, developers, councils, sporting facilities and direct retail. Each behaves differently. Development and construction demand is cyclical and moves with the residential market. Council and sports field work is steadier and often contracted. Retail and landscaper trade is more fragmented but less exposed to any one downturn.
Buyers look for the mix and for concentration. Supply agreements with developers or councils, if you hold them, are genuinely valuable and should be documented properly rather than mentioned in passing.
Foreign investment thresholds for Australian agricultural land
| Investor | Threshold for agricultural land, and how it is counted |
|---|---|
| Private foreign investors, other than those covered below | $15 million, cumulative. Cumulative means the consideration for the current proposed investment, plus the total value of all interests currently held in Australian agricultural land by the investor and their associates, at current market value. Not indexed. |
| Private investors from Chile, New Zealand and the United States | $1,498 million, not cumulative, effective 1 January 2026. Indexed annually. |
| Private investors from Thailand | $50 million, not cumulative, for land used wholly and exclusively for a primary production business. Not indexed. |
| Foreign government investors | $0. Approval is required regardless of the value of the acquisition. |
| What counts as agricultural land | Land in Australia that is used, or that could reasonably be used, for a primary production business. It includes land only partially used for that purpose, and areas temporarily covered by water such as farm dams. |
| The marketing condition | Approval for a foreign acquisition of freehold agricultural land for primary production is generally refused unless the land was offered through an open and transparent sale process. That typically requires public marketing through accessible channels, for at least 30 days within the six months before the agreement, with an equal opportunity for all bidders. Exemptions include majority Australian controlled applicants and ASX listed entities. |
Figures are from FIRB Guidance Note 3, agricultural land, Version 6, dated 2 January 2026. Thresholds change, so confirm the current guidance note before you rely on a number in a marketing decision. The separate agribusiness threshold is not stated here, because the current 2026 figure could not be verified from a primary source.
Why foreign investment rules decide how you take the farm to market
The foreign investment rules are not a settlement formality on an agricultural sale. They shape the buyer pool before the first inspection. An off market sale, negotiated quietly with one foreign buyer, can be refused because the land was never offered through an open and transparent sale process. The same farm, advertised publicly for at least 30 days within the six months before the agreement, keeps that buyer in the pool.
That is a reason to run a documented campaign even where a private approach looks convenient. Keep the advertisement copy, the publication dates, the channels used and the enquiry log. Where a buyer later needs approval, the evidence of an open process is assembled from your file, and a thin file is the seller’s problem as much as the buyer’s.
The Register of Foreign Ownership of Australian Assets is the second half of the picture. It commenced on 1 July 2023, consolidating three earlier registers, and the Commissioner of Taxation is the Registrar under the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975. Registrable assets include agricultural land and water interests, along with residential land, commercial land, business and entity interests, and mining, production and exploration tenements.
A foreign person must register an agricultural land interest within 30 days of purchase at settlement, or of becoming a foreign person while holding an interest. Registration is required regardless of the value and it is free. A registrable interest includes a lease giving rights to occupy agricultural land where the term, including extensions or renewals, is reasonably likely to exceed 5 years. FIRB guidance confirms that acquisitions and disposals of agricultural land must be notified even where the original deal was approved or exempt, that water entitlements must also be registered, and that records must be kept for five years.
Two practical consequences follow for a turf farm. First, if you are a foreign person selling, the disposal is notifiable, so the register obligation applies to your exit as well as to the buyer’s entry. Second, a long lease or occupation arrangement over your land can itself be a registrable interest, so check what is on foot before you present the tenancy schedule to a buyer.
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