GREENFIELD, Ind. — An active crowd came out for a recent auction in Greenfield, Ind., primarily to buy livestock equipment for a small operation.

“The power of that auction was 4-Hers or anyone who sells to 4-Hers. Everything sold well,” said Auctioneer Steve Sanford.

Sanford said fences, gates, feeders, clippers, trimmers and trim stands for sheep were among the hot items. A 20-rod roll of fence that looked complete sold for $150, Sanford said, while the retail cost would have been $300. The rising retail costs of these items have led people to shop for quality used items, he said.

“While grain farmers have enjoyed good times the past few years, livestock folks have been on a roller coaster ride as feed costs have been high. In addition, feeders, gates and other products necessary for their use have seen a continual rise in cost over the past few years,” Sanford said.

For example, the tilting sheep stand, which might have sold for $1,200-$1,500 new, brought $700 at the auction. That was about $500 more than the seller thought he might get, Sanford said.

Other auction items with their prices were as follows: Pauls livestock scales for hogs/sheep for $950; two sets of electric sheep shears for $250 and $275, respectively; sheep trim stand, $250; two older gravity wagons, $400 and $500; two older John Deere 115 silage wagons for $800 each, and old feed grinder at $650.

“The feed grinder had a good interest because of all the small elevators which have gone out of business in the past few years, making it difficult for some livestock producers to get their own custom mix,” Sanford said.

Hay was another hot ticket item, as the dry summer created a need for more inventory before the snow premium kicks in, Sanford said. Two lots of small square bales brought $6 per bale, with competitive bidding on all the lots.

About 100 bidders came out for this auction, Sanford said.

“This auction represented what an auction can be. If you offer something people want, bidding will be vigorous, and competition is public. This usually nets a reward to the seller,” Sanford said.

Sellers were Nancy (Brown) Moore and others at the Oct. 1 auction.

Sanford is also a licensed real estate agent, and he said he would rather auction farmland right now than sell it through traditional agency. The high cost of land is fueling a lot of interest in land sales, he said.

At the same time that small farm equipment and land are doing so well, household items are down, he said. Unless they are unique, dishes, antique furniture, and other household equipment are at a low.