Detailed Description
Selling ONLINE July 24, 2024. 'High Barr Plateau' will be offered for sale by CLHbid.com by way of ONLINE electronic tender from 9am-10am MST. The price listed is the Starting Bid - see website for Updates and Details. ‘High Barr Plateau’ consists of an almost unheard-of 5,665 contiguous acres of agricultural land in the Peace River Assessment District. Before he passed, Fred Barr (the owner), was nearing the end of an enormous project devoted to assembling thousands of acres of prime, arable land in one sizeable block. ‘High Barr Plateau’ sits on an expansive tableland above the Mighty Peace River, which will soon be the site of a reservoir situated upstream of the Site C Dam. ‘High Barr Plateau’ was an organic grain farm that successfully produced cereals and hay for decades. Purchased in 2017, the new owner converted it to a progressive cattle ranch that ran 700 pairs. Fred Barr took on extensive clearing and breaking, and the land is now divided into a mix of seven hundred acres of rejuvenated pasture that was seeded down in the fall of 2023, as well as 800 acres of pasture and hay land, with another 2,000+ acres that have been broken and are in the advanced stages of transitioning to arable acres. Fred Barr was known to take on titanic-sized projects, and ‘High Barr Plateau’ is no exception. So close to seeing his dream a reality, Fred had already purchased and hauled home the grass seed to seed down the 2,000 acres under conversion. A trip to ‘High Barr Plateau’ is a must to appreciate the quality and quantity of work completed on the 2,000+ acres, some of which are tilled and ready for seed. Like a John Wayne character, Fred Barr knew better than anyone that you 'don't bring a knife to a gunfight'. He bought the biggest and best John Deere farm and industrial equipment for his land-clearing project, including a JD 1050 Dozer with his custom-designed blade to alleviate leaving stumps. While most of the equipment is John Deere, notable exceptions were added to the arsenal: the Italian FAE tiller, commonly regarded as the best tiller for new breaking, as well as the Canadian manufactured Kello-Bilt heavy disc. If you walk the land, you will see that Fred won the fight hands down. The low Starting Bid of $4.1 million for thirty-six contiguous quarters is close to the purchase price for all new equipment to take on this mammoth project. The land needs new owners to finish what Fred Barr set out to accomplish, and the family has decided to let the market determine the final price with a starting bid set at a fraction of a recent appraisal. The land has power, a phone line, a water well, and a newer livestock handling system. A Quonset, barn, and hay shed can also be found on the property. A water licence is assignable, allowing for surface and groundwater withdrawal. For cattlemen, ‘High Barr Plateau’ will be the ideal place to send a convoy of liners when the grass greens up each spring. With miles of newer, four-wire perimeter and cross fencing, and pavement to the doorstep, it is ideally set up to drop a bunkhouse for the wranglers and return in the fall with twice as many liners to haul out the beef. With the project not yet completed, Fred had yet to hang the ranch name at the overhead ranch gate. The new owner of ‘High Barr Plateau’ will earn the right to call it their very own and put the final brand on it. With no house on the land, buyers only pay for what they can use. Make it your own and build your dream home or clear the saplings off the runway and make this your satellite farm or ranch from your main operation down south. Situated in a microclimate close to Williston Lake, this is highly fertile land with virtually no rocks located in an area known for good rainfall and long growing degree days. With over 1,000 miles of shoreline, the owner thoroughly enjoyed those few days off each summer spent catching big lakers in the largest reservoir in BC. Wildlife is also abundant in this outdoorsperson’s paradise. It is readily apparent that great attention to detail was paid whilst planning and creating the current assemblage of ‘High Barr Plateau’ to ensure that everything was done properly the first time. The existing pasture land has ample dugouts that are strategically placed so as not to interfere with tillage if the land was used for cropping. Given the layout of the land, potholes and low areas that seep for weeks every spring are nonexistent; the entire perimeter of the 700 acres of grass that were newly seeded could be driven in a pickup in the early spring of this year. To say the potential of ‘High Barr Plateau’ is unlimited does not do this assemblage justice. Make it into one massive, productive farm growing cereals, oilseeds, legumes, or grasses, and this could potentially be some of the most economical farmland in Western Canada for no other reason than just because. Make it into one massive ranch, as was the owner's plan, and you will have the acres to produce enough silage and hay to support well over 1,000 pairs. Appreciate the surrounding beauty on your daily rides around the range with the majestic mountain ranges in the background. The quick trip to Fort St John for parts or bale wrap will be relished for the stunning vistas along Don Phillips Way; the striking views of the Rocky Mountains and Williston Lake rival those of the Cabot Trail in Eastern Canada. Qualified registered bidders can fly into Fort St John, rent a vehicle, and take a 45-minute drive to view ‘High Barr Plateau’ in person, and if you don’t like what you see after spending a day on the land, CLHbid.com will reimburse you for your flight. ‘High Barr Plateau’ speaks for itself, and Fred Barr's family have decided to let it do the talking. ‘High Barr Plateau’ is being offered for sale via online escalating tender by CLHbid.com. Please check the website for updates from time to time.
https://www.clhbid.com/auctions/high-barr-plateau/
