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Iowa Farmland to Sell in Feb. 22 Auction

Approximately 430 acres of productive Iowa farmland will sell at auction Wednesday, Feb. 22, with Murray Wise Associates marketing the property and managing the sale.

"Iowa farmland has been in the national news a lot because of the strong returns this asset class has provided, and this is highly productive ground right in the heart of the Corn Belt," said John Kirkpatrick, who manages Iowa operations for Murray Wise Associates.

The land, currently owned by the Earl Strand Trust, is located 22 miles south of Fort Dodge, along the line separating Boone and Webster counties.

"This is a case where the seller has managed the farmland as an investment and is now in a position to realize its gains in value," said Kirkpatrick. "At the same time, land continues to be an excellent long-term investment for both farmers and investors."

The property will sell in five tracts. "We have 240 contiguous acres, selling in three tracts of 80 acres each. The balance of the land consists of 190 acres, which will sell in tracts of 130 and 60 acres. By selling it this way, we're enabling farmers and investors to bid on as little as 60 acres or as much as the entire 430 acres," he said.

The tracts will sell in the combination that brings the highest total price for the seller, he said.

"The land has a strong productivity record, ranging from 170 to 236 bushels of corn per acre, or 44 to 57 bushels of soybeans per acre, providing excellent return opportunities to buyers," Kirkpatrick said.

Murray Wise Associates LLC, headquartered in Champaign, Ill., with additional offices in Florida and Iowa, is a leading national agricultural real estate marketing and auction company. The company also manages farmland assets for individual clients in Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. More auction information.