Farmland fetches $3.5 million at two Midwest auctions

HAMILTON COUNTY, Ill. — Kurtz Auction & Realty recently auctioned off five tracts of farmland in Illinois and Kentucky for a combined total of nearly $3.5 million.

Three non-contiguous tracts containing a total of 494 acres sold to a single buyer for $2.775 million, or $5,617 per acre (or $6,453 per crop acre). The tracts had a total of 430 acres of relatively flat row crop farmland in Beaver Creek Township, Ill.; the balance was wooded land.

The primary soils were Bonnie, Bluford and Belknap silt loams. Improvements on the property included two older grain bins.

In a separate auction in Webster County, Ky., a mostly wooded farm containing 197.53 acres sold in two tracts for $711,115, or $3,600 per acre. It had 30 acres of creek bottom land, 26 acres of pastureland and 141.5 acres  in wooded hill land with young timber.

Buildings with contributory value were a metal storage building and a tobacco barn. Buyers were area landowners.

These auctions were conducted by Kurtz, which may be contacted by phone at 800-264-1204, or visit www.kurtzauction.com

John Deere sign lights up Markers’ lives with $9,500

BYRON CENTER, Mich. — The owners of a lighted John Deere dealer sign were glad they chose the auction method of selling.

On May 8 Art Smith Auction sold the belongings of Eleanor and Ed Marker. They owned Marker Implement in Caledonia from 1964-93. Many of the items in the auction came from the dealership, including the sign.

The sign had been purchased in 1963 and was never hung up; it was in like-new condition. The owners had previously been offered $1,000 for the sign. The 4-by-6-foot double-sided sign made $9,500 at auction.

A 1970 John Deere Model 140 garden tractor sold at the same auction for $2,400.  It featured dual front hydraulics, a 46-inch mower deck and 33-inch rear rototiller. It was listed as a complete frame-up restoration with rebuilt 14 hp Kohler engine. Smith said, "The tractor looks like it just came out of the crate, show ready."

For more information, call Art Smith Auctions at 616-696-2598 or visit www.artsmithauctions.com