Farm Progress

Sale of the Month: Yankton County, S.D., land sells after being held in the same family for 140 years.

March 26, 2018

3 Min Read
LAND AUCTION: A Steffes Group sign advertises an upcoming land auction. Steffes Group managed and conducted an auction of approximately 2,117 acres in Faulk County, S.D. in March.

A quarter section of land in Yankton, S.D., sold in an online auction March 14 for $6,437 per acre — a typical price for southern South Dakota this year. But the story behind the land is anything but typical.

“From daughter to daughter through four generations, this land has provided for one family since 1877!” the Advantage Land Company sale bill reads. “This is a glimpse into the history of this lone quarter section and the stability it has brought to one family for 140 years.

“Originally from Ireland, the Madole family homesteaded this land during the time of the 19th President Rutherford B. Hayes, as they moved from New York to South Dakota with the army.

“In 1929, the current owner’s grandfather passed of a heart attack, leaving her grandma a widow and having to raise her eight children during the depression. She decided to keep this land and was able to put all six of her daughters through college. One of the daughters became a teacher and moved to Chicago. This teacher inherited the land and sold it to her daughter, who is currently a forensic scientist and author.”

A local farmer — a father farming with his son — bought the land, reports Megan Hegerfeld, an agent with Advantage Land Company. She says she hopes they will have land in their family as long as the Madoles did.

$4,121 per acre for north central South Dakota land
Approximately 2,117 acres in Faulk County, S.D., sold in March for an average of $4,121 per acre. “This was the kind of land auction that has been rare in recent years — contiguous land with excellent access and good soils. Bidders responded with a lot of enthusiasm, and we got a great result for the sellers,” says Max Steffes, of Steffes Group, West Fargo, N.D. “When we opened bidding, the first successful bidder purchased three of the nine tracts — 480 acres — at $5,100 per acre. In the second round of bidding for the remaining tracts, we sold an additional 304 acres for $4,400 per acre.” About 125 people attended the auction. There were 37 registered bidders. Of the buyers, three were local farmers, and one of the tillable tracts went to an investor, Steffes says. — Auction managed and conducted by Steffes Group, Fargo, N.D. Phone: 800-451-7087. steffesgroup.com.

Eastern South Dakota high-producing land
Nearly 200 acres is Moody County, S.D., sold for $7,200 per acre in a recent auction. The sale bill described the property as having excellent soils, with a Surety AGriData productivity index of 80.5. The property included 173 acres of corn and soybeans, 17 acres of mixed hayland, 3.7 acres of grass and the remainder in haylands, waterway and roads. — Auction managed and conducted by Sutton Auctioneer and Land Broker, Sioux Falls, S.D. Phone: 605-336-6315. suttonauction.com.

Good dryland quarter sells in Bennet County, S.D.
A good quality dryland quarter with excellent drainage in Bennett County, S.D., sold privately recently for $975 per acre. “Electricity runs right by the property,” the sale bill said. — Sold by Farmers National Company, Andy Fehringer, agent. Phone: (402) 336-4188. farmersnational.com.

CRP land brings $1,125 per acre
Eighty acres in Griggs County, N.D., enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program through 2022 sold in a private sale for $1,125 per acre. An “excellent deer habitat with natural cover and tree lot complement the good stand of established CRP grasses,” the sale bill said. The property had some U.S. Fish and Wildlife easements on it. — Sold by Farmers National Co., Rob Loe, agent. Phone: 701-797-3276 or 701-261-3355. farmersnational.com.

McCook County, S.D., land moves at $6,325 per acre
Approximately 276 acres of “quality tillable land” in McCook County, S.D., sold at auction Feb. 28 for $6,325 per acres. The property consisted of 239 acres of cropland and 31 acres of grass and slough. The remainder was railroad right of way. — Auction managed and conducted by Wieman Land & Auction, Marion, S.D. Phone: 800-251-3111. wiemanauction.com.

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