The Board of Supervisors room at the Crawford County Courthouse turned into an auction venue on April 2 when Jared Muhlbauer with Denison Livestock Auction took bids on just under 129 acres of county-owned farm ground located at the old county farm property east of Arion.

Bidding started at $300 an acre and stayed at that level until after a short recess. Bids increased to $335 before another short recess was taken. Then the bidding topped out at $355 an acre, which was offered by Jim Reiser.

At $355, the total rent for the 128.8 acres is $45,724, with $500 paid right after the auction and the remainder - $45,224 – to be paid on or before April 20.

The lease expires on February 28 next year.

For months the supervisors have been discussing ways to enroll the old county farm ground into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and that intent was listed in the lease agreement.

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Supervisors Kyle Schultz and Craig Dozark had reported to the rest of the board at multiple meetings on their efforts to get the land enrolled in the CRP.

“We have been working feverously to get enrolled in a CRP program,” Schultz said before the auction. “We have an application filed but it hasn’t been approved, but we anticipate it will be approved. By signing the lease (the renter is) also signing termination papers so you don’t have to go through that in August.”

Schultz noted one change to the lease made on the day of the auction. Previously the lease agreement said there would be no removal of stover. That part was stricken. Stover can be removed but it must be removed no later than December 24 of this year, Schultz explained.

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