MILAN, Mich. – On Jan. 22, Brad Neuhart Auctioneering hosted a retirement auction for Zilke Farm and Farm Kitchen. Tom and Vicki Zilke operated a popular vegetable farm and the Zilke Farm Kitchen for many years.

After years of running their vegetable farm, the Zilkes expanded in 2018 by opening Zilke Farm Kitchen, offering locally sourced, healthy meal kits, prepared foods, and catering services for their community. They specialized in products made with fresh, seasonal ingredients from their farm and local suppliers.

In advance of their retirement, they commissioned Brad Neuhart Auctioneers to sell the commercial food-service equipment, farm machinery, and supplies from the businesses. The event provided a unique opportunity to buy discounted farm and kitchen equipment to outfit a farm market or café.

A total of 364 lots were available online via HiBid. Major pieces of food-service equipment included a Manitowoc Model UDF0140A ice machine that landed a solid $1,900. Bidding reached $525 on a CPG Model 351S36 six-burner stove/oven, and a 20-by-20-inch two-bay stainless sink featuring left and right drain tables made it to $500.

Cooling and refrigeration equipment saw some of the most competitive bidding. Choices included a 12-foot-by-10-foot-by-8-foot Norlake Kold Locker outdoor freezer that brought in $13,750 – half its original price of $25,000. A like-new Irinox MultiFresh Next SL blast chiller, with a five-sheet capacity and two racks, reached $5,000. A bid of $2,050 won a Turbo Air two-door freezer with shelves. Other highlights included a Minus40 Model 43-UDGF display freezer with two glass doors ($1,350), a Sir Lawrence Model SLREF-2D two-door refrigerator ($1,050), and a Beverage Air display cooler with three glass doors ($1,000).

In addition to the larger equipment, prep tools attracted their share of attention. A Mannhart electric salad dryer hit $725, while a Hobart 8181D Buffalo Chopper reached $675. A Hobart Model 410 meat/cheese slicer followed closely at $650. Other tools went lower, including a commercial fudge kettle at $135 and a Nemco Model 56600 tomato slicer at $110.

Eight stainless steel prep tables also made their way through the auction, including a 72-inch-by-34-inch enclosed unit with two shelves, sink, ice cream well, and trash cabinet, which topped the list at $500. A 60-inch-by-30-inch enclosed unit with back and side splashes followed, selling for $380; and, a slightly smaller 60-by-24-inch table brought $245.

Various storage solutions, including both rack and mobile options were available. Among the racks, a bid of $145 took home a Rubbermaid 19-pan rack on wheels. Two stainless steel SafeRack shelving units (each 24-inch-by-48-inch-by-60-inch) sold for $99 and $93. A 12-inch-by-36-inch-by-60-inch stainless shelf fetched $63. Mobile storage included two identical hot/cold Bradford Hall six-pan transports that drew bids of $170 and $160; a matching Bradford roller cart closed at $25. A five-pan carriable hot/cold transport later hit $155. Rolling carts included a good condition 19-inch-by-27-inch Lakeside two-shelf stainless steel cart that rolled off at $150 and an older 19-inch-by-25-inch stainless cart that brought in $155.

Smaller catering items also saw action, including two butane tabletop stoves, which grabbed $16 and $21. Three five-gallon Igloo beverage coolers received bids of $27 to $29, and two three-gallon beverage dispensers with spigots got $41 each. Bidders chased other useful items, like two stainless steel lemon juicers, won for $71 and $55.

Turning to outdoor dining, fifteen lots featuring single 6-foot treated wood picnic tables attracted attention, each fetching $155. And shifting from the purely functional, the sale also carried an interesting selection of antiques, such as a 1920s Hotpoint “Automatic” stove, which bid to $155. A Toledo antique store scale hit $150, and a vintage Detroit Jewel stove was grabbed for just $41.

Back on the farm, five tractors were offered. A 2003 Massey Ferguson 451 loader tractor with 2,000 hours picked up the highest at $13,000. The good-running but not perfect machine was equipped with a bucket and forks. A bid of $6,400 won a John Deere 4020 Diesel with 7,000 hours and outfitted with Powershift. It too was in running condition but needed some TLC. Later came a gas-powered Oliver 1650 with 4,400 hours and its original sales paperwork that pulled $5,500. An Allis Chalmers G in running condition with a mounted cultivator made it to $3,150, while an operating Farmall C with front cultivators rode off for just $1,050.

For information on Brad Neuhart’s upcoming events, visit: www.bradneuhart.com.