Over 5,600 Acres of Minnesota Farmland Will Be up for Auction in March 2025

According to data compiled by the Successful Farming team, more than 5,600 acres of Minnesota farmland are set to be auctioned in March 2025. Listings range from single tracts of 40 acres to a multi-parcel auction of over 1,800 acres. Here’s a closer look at the farmland expected to change hands across 14 Minnesota counties.

Minnesota’s Largest March Farmland Auction

The largest Minnesota farmland auction is set to take place in Clay County where 12 tracts of land totalling 1,869.2 acres will be available for sale in-person or online on March 11, 2025. Kevin Pifer, president and CEO of The Pifer Group, said buyers are “able to bid in the ‘high bidder choice’ method and are afforded the opportunity to lump [the tracts] together at their discretion.”

Tracts range in size from 140.53 acres to 163.44 acres. 

The Pifer Group will handle the sale on behalf of Grover Farms Inc. 

Pifer said there has been strong interest in the land sale, and interest “has been very widespread with mostly farmers throughout the region.”

Each of the 12 tracts available for purchase were planted with corn, soybeans, or sugar beets in 2024. Each tract has a Soil Productivity Index (SPI) of 89 or greater. On average, the cropland has yielded 143 bushels per acre (bpa) of corn and 34 bpa of soybeans per year.

The soils featured on the property are highly productive loam soils, with predominantly Wheatville Silt Loam, Glyndon Loam, and Augsburg Silt Loam soils. “The soils are remarkably diverse and allow for extensive cropping including sugar beets, wheat, barley, sunflowers, canola, and much more,” Pifer said. “The heavy loam soils make this cropland some of the most productive in the country.”

There is a lease currently in place for 2025 on the land, and the buyer will receive the entire 2025 cash rent lease payment. The lease expires at the end of the 2025 crop year. The current tenant will be responsible for tilling the cropland following the 2025 harvest. Prospective buyers can call The Pifer Group for additional details about the lease.

Two More Clay County Farmland Auctions

There are two other farmland auctions scheduled to take place in Clay County in March. The second largest auction in the county features 406.9 acres available for sale in-person or online on March 11, 2025. 

The Pifer Group will handle this sale on behalf of the Vernon Nelson Estate. 

Across the four tracts, the SPI ranges between 50.3 to 96. In total, there are an estimated 320.97 cropland acres. Historically, wheat yields have ranged from 35 to 47 bpa, and soybean yields have ranged from 25 to 30 bpa.

Tracts range in size from 72.71 acres to 140.27 acres.

The smallest farmland auction in Clay County features 127.91 acres with 123.37 tillable acres and a SPI of 89.6. This property will be available in an online auction beginning on March 4, 2025. Acres & Shares, LLC will represent the seller.

Mower County

A one-chance sealed bid auction for 199 acres is taking place on March 21, 2025 in Mower County. There are four tracts in the auction, and buyers may choose to bid on single tracts or on the entire farm.

Tracts range in size from 44 acres to 62 acres. 

LandProz will handle the auction on behalf of the Reinartz Farm.

Three of the tracts feature drain tile, with one parcel featuring a shared tile maintenance agreement. Drain tile was installed on the property in the 1970s and 2012.

The Crop Productivity Index (CPI) of the land averages around 79. Jennifer Busch, an associate broker with LandProz, said the land has been used to grow canning crops, corn, and soybeans in the past.

There are 11.5 acres enrolled in the Conservation Resource Program (CRP) across two tracts. The contract for the CRP program will go to the new buyer and needs to be transferred after closing within 60 days.

Additionally, one tract offers a four bedroom, two bathroom farmhouse that was built in 1917. This two-story, 3,784 square foot home also has an attached two car garage. “This farm has been in the family for quite some time,” Busch said.

There are also several additional structures on the lot, including a grain bin, granary, hog house, milk house, machine shed, loafing shed, storage shed, and a silo.

Busch said interest has included investors and locals. “The interest has been strong with local people interested in the building site,” she said, “with more operators interested in the land tracts.”

Other Farmland Sales

At least an additional 18 farmland auctions are expected to be held across the state in March. Method of sale ranges from in-person and online to sealed bids. 

Several tracts will be sold with drainage tile. There are also several multi-parcel tracts scheduled to hit the auction block.

Each of these auctions is spread across the state, with the majority of them featuring cropland with high CPI ratings.