By CINDY LADAGE

Illinois Correspondent

CLINTON, Ill. — A special auction will take place on Dec. 17 at Martin Auctions in Clinton; this is no ordinary farm closeout land and equipment sale.

The Schmid Family Farm is selling an exceptional line of equipment, along with two tracts of land, but the focus of the sale is it will benefit the fight against Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD.

“Schmid Farms will donate the first $25,000 from the auction proceeds to MDA (the Muscular Dystrophy Assoc.); anyone else who is moved to make a donation will be doing so knowing that they are supporting the research to help combat this terminal disease,” says a letter to potential attendees, about the auction.

In December 2017, the Schmid family learned that two of their three sons, Brody and Royce, have the rare DMD disease. The family said while the boys are currently mobile and appear healthy, they will, with age, begin to show the signs associated with this terrible disease.

Duchenne.com states that DMD is caused by a genetic mutation that prevents the body from producing dystrophin, a protein that muscles need to work properly. Without dystrophin, muscle cells become damaged and weaken. Over time, children with DMD will develop problems walking and breathing, and eventually the muscles that help them breathe and the heart will stop working.

DMD is an irreversible, progressive disease. There is currently no cure for it. It occurs in 1 in 3,500-5,000 boys born worldwide, and is one of more than 30 forms of muscular dystrophy.

The MDA will be on-site on auction day to educate and bring awareness of this disease to those attending. It will also accept separate donations for DMD research.

Martin Auction stated the equipment being presented will be offered to the public at absolute auction. The equipment is mostly late-model John Deere and Case IH equipment. There are beautiful Peterbilt trucks and some nice trailers, as well as fertilizer equipment, construction equipment and automobiles.

Two tracts of land are also being sold. Rob and Lucy Nord of Martin Auction invite potential bidders to “inspect these items and see if this isn’t one of the nicest, cleanest and diverse sets of equipment to be offered at any one-owner event.”

For interested buyers who cannot attend in person, this entire offering will be available via simulcast online bidding at the sites listed in the catalog, and there is no buyer’s premium live or online for this event.

Also for those who cannot make the event, but still want to make a contribution to the MDA, visit the Martin website at www.martinauction.com for information about it and the auction itself.

This is an opportunity during the holiday season to make a difference. The Schmid family and Martin are doing what they can along with the MDA to try to find a cure for this disease; they hope others will join them in this cause.

Martin Auction is a family business that started in 1947. This auction will take place at the Schmids’ farm three miles west of Clinton, at 4804 Seven Hills Road, beginning at 10 a.m.