by Ron Stock

Land is selling well, but there is less land on the market than last year at this time. So, it’s a good time to sell, and it is a seller’s market — even with higher interest rates, says BigIron Realty. Land is selling at prices higher than expected.

Based in Columbus, Neb., BigIron, a licensed real estate broker in eight states, compiles the reports each month for this column. However, not all sales are handled by BigIron each month. For more information, call BigIron at 800-887-8625.

The following are a few of the most recent sales in Nebraska and Kansas:

Northeast Nebraska

Thurston County. A total of 191.93 acres sold at online auction for $1,295,527.50. This farm is a rolling dryland farm in an area where land seldom changes hands. There is good gravel road access on the south and west side of the farm, and it is only 2 miles off Highway 75. — Compliments of BigIron Realty

East Nebraska

York County. A total of 158.84 acres sold at online auction for $2,120,514. This is a nice-lying, productive, irrigated quarter in southeast York County. The farm has a history of seed corn production. There is also a four-bedroom, one-bathroom home and a 48-by-38-foot metal shed that is fully cemented and is located on the northeast side of the property. The sale included a seven-tower T-L center pivot and a 454 natural gas power unit, both new in 2014. Also included was an Amarillo gearhead with pump. — Compliments of BigIron Realty

Southeast Nebraska

Jefferson County. A total of 246.31 acres sold for $1,125,000. Nestled along the Little Blue River near Steele City, not far from the Nebraska-Kansas border in southeastern Nebraska, the farm includes productive, river-bottom cropland; fenced pasture; a building site with two houses and several outbuildings; and recreational amenities with access to mature timber and the Little Blue River. — Compliments of Agri Affiliates Inc.

Kansas

Wallace County. A total of 387.4 acres sold at online auction for $522,990. The farm has 378.95 acres of cropland enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program through Sept. 30, 2026. It pays $58.96 per acre or $22,343 per year. The buyer receives the 2024, 2025 and 2026 CRP payments. The possibility of it being eligible for CRP reenrollment in the future is strong, because it's enrolled in the SAFE – Kansas Lesser Prairie-Chicken Grassland Restoration practice. This is a favorite practice of conservationists and USDA, as reflected in the $58.96-per-acre rental rate. There are deer, antelope and pheasant all over the area. The soils are primarily Bridgeport and Ulysses silt loams with 0% to 3% slopes, so it is good cropland if it were returned to grain production. The seller’s mineral rights went to the buyer. Historically, the Butterfield Overland Dispatch Stage Line passed through this property east to west, beginning in 1865 for a stop at Fort Wallace. The Fort Wallace cemetery is three-quarters of a mile west of the property. The property is bordered on the east by 30 Road and on the south by Outpost Road. — Compliments of BigIron Realty

Pratt County. A total of 156.42 acres sold at online auction for $328,482. These 156.42 acres are enrolled in a CRP contract expiring Sept. 30, 2026. It pays $47.22 per acre or $7,386.00 per year. The 2023 payment was retained by the seller, who paid the 2023 property taxes. The buyer receives the 2024, 2025 and 2026 CRP payments. The buyer agreed to keep the CRP in compliance with USDA requirements through the contract expiration date. After CRP maturity, the land may be eligible for renewal into CRP or can be put back into crop production or grazed. This is excellent ground with deer and some of the best pheasant hunting in the area. — Compliments of BigIron Realty

Stock is co-founder of BigIron Auctions and Realty with his brother Mark.