Farmland often represents a family legacy. For Sandy Chalmers, her two sisters, and her brother, the land included in their mother’s trust was exactly that. Their family’s farming roots go back to the 1840s east of Marshall, Illinois, near the Indiana state line. However, the land had been rented since their grandparents retired in the 1970s.
After their mother passed away in October 2022, Sandy took the lead in handling the trust’s assets as trustee. With varying levels of interest in farming and different financial goals, the siblings made the difficult decision to sell two fields that had been in the family for years.
“We decided to sell 80 acres our great-grandmother bought with her inheritance, and 95 acres our grandparents bought with money they saved during the Great Depression,” she says. “Grandma wanted us to know and remember how the farm came together.”
The first step was securing the valuation of the land. Sandy found it challenging to find a farmland appraiser who responded to her inquiries. She submitted a message to First Mid Ag Services on the website. Cory Kauffman, Mattoon office regional manager and an accredited farm manager and appraiser, responded and agreed to help.
“Cory appraised the fields for the date of death valuation and gave us information that formed the basis of our plan moving forward,” Sandy explains. “He also provided recommendations with several options for selling.”
Then, she researched area brokers and auction companies, including First Mid Ag Services. She considered marketing to build awareness of the land sale a high priority.
“I reviewed marketing materials and results, and I liked what I saw from First Mid,” she says. “Based on that research, my siblings and I decided to continue working with Cory and his team.”
Because the land they were selling hadn’t been on the market for a long time, they expected high interest. Based on Cory’s recommendations and insight, they decided to hold an in-person auction with online bidding to allow as many participants as possible.
Cory took the lead on the process and executed the marketing plan, which included drone footage and a brochure. His team sent a brochure about the sale to everyone within a mile of the field, followed up with bidders as they registered, and promptly shared questions and provided answers.
“Cory went the extra mile and provided excellent customer service,” Sandy says. “He approached everything with a sense of urgency. With an auction, much depends on the mood of people in the room, and his advance work did as much as possible to ensure the results we were looking for.”
She and her siblings watched the auction live online. Both tracts were purchased by neighbors who knew her grandparents.
“The bottom line is that the land — part of our legacy — sold significantly above the appraised value,” Sandy says. “We were very pleased with the results, and we appreciated Cory’s time and effort.”
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