LEXINGTON, Ky. — Anderson Circle Farms in Harrodsburg sold for $25 million on Nov. 16 after a spirited contest between the ultimate buyer and various combinations of bidders seeking smaller parts of the 5,529-acre Mercer County, Ky. estate.

The auction attracted 147 bidders to the Lexington Convention Center, where they competed for more than three hours.

“It’s hard to imagine a more dramatic finish than this one. A couple of bidders wanted the entire property, but we had a lot of folks – including farmers, investors and other bidders – who were hoping to buy various parts of the land and the homes that were part of Anderson Circle Farms,” said R.D. Schrader, president of Schrader Real Estate and Auction Co., which marketed the property and conducted the sale.

“At various points during the competition, we had combinations of one dozen, two dozen and more bidders who were in the lead position for the property they were seeking to buy,” he said. “The beauty of the process is that every bidder – from the last one standing to the ones seeking the smallest amounts of property – had an equal chance. Ultimately, it added up to a successful sale for the sellers at a fair market price.”

The property had been accumulated over time since 1967, when Belcan founder Ralph G. Anderson began acquiring farms adjacent to his original 220-acre Mercer County farm.

For additional information about Schrader and its auctions, call 1-800-451-2709 or visit schraderauction.com

COMO, Miss. — A variety of farm and lawn equipment attracted high-dollar bids during an auction at Battle Fish Farms and Yocona Lodge Farms in northern Mississippi on Nov. 5.

Earning the highest bid was a Kubota 9540 tractor at $32,250. The Kubota has a cab and air conditioning; it is four-wheel-drive, and it came with a front loader. Just a few hundred dollars behind was a Case 580 SM backhoe with a top bid of $32,000. This Case machine also has a cab with air conditioning, and it is four-wheel-drive.

At $25,800, a John Deere 5520 tractor was sold. The John Deere came with a loader, and it is four-wheel-drive. A zero-turn John Deere 757 mower found a buyer at $4,000.

A W&W cattle handling system crossed the auction block for $12,000. This system included a squeeze chute, an alley, tub and 20 panels.

Crenshaw Auction Co. of Como, Miss. conducted the sale. For more details on Crenshaw, call 901-486-6828 or visit www.crenshawauctioncompany.com

VALENTINE, Neb. — On Friday, Dec. 2, at 10 a.m. CST at the Cedar Canyon Steakhouse in Valentine, Hall and Hall Auctions will sell the 40,520-acre Circle Cross Ranch, nestled in the Nebraska Sandhills, at one of the largest absolute auctions in Nebraska in recent history.

Circle Cross Ranch is located along the Niobrara National Scenic River, about 20 minutes southwest of Valentine and includes 12,020 deeded acres, a 16,500-acre permit in the McKelvie National Forest, 3,400 acres of private and state lease, and 8,600 acres of additional private leases.

“Circle Cross controls approximately seven miles of the Niobrara River,” said Metzger. “It also includes 1,100 irrigated acres, four houses, Morton Cattle and several equipment buildings. This is going to be a phenomenal land auction.”

The ranch is irrigated by several wells on the property as well as pumps drawing water from the Niobrara.

There are seven pivot irrigation systems. The water is plentiful. Numerous stock tanks and ponds also pepper the property’s landscape.

The land consists of open plains, rugged terrain, and scenic trails along the river and through its many wooded areas. Permits on the adjacent Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest add additional grazing and recreational opportunities.

“Seldom has a ranch of this quality been available to the public and perhaps never at absolute auction,” said Metzger.

For more on this ranch auction, call Scott Shuman at 800-829-8747 or Tom Metzger at 970-686-5111. For details, visit www.hallhall.com/auction-services