At last, we’re seeing signs that the bull market for farmland might be taking a breather. Over the past few months, we’ve seen prices in many areas begin to flatten, especially compared to the dramatic rises we’ve seen for three years. Over a 12-month period, the numbers are still impressive. For example, the Chicago Fed’s [...]

In all my long career, I’ve never been more proud of an effort. Last week, we finished a series of seven auctions on a bankruptcy project so complicated that nobody dared dream of such an outcome: Approximately $75 million recovered for the creditors. This has been a very long journey that began in the summer [...]

I’ve been part of a lot of auctions in my career – many of them very big ones. Thousands of acres of land, offered in dozens of tracts. It’s exhilarating. Right now, we at Murray Wise are awash in exhilaration – preparing for an incredibly complex set of auctions to sell a wide range of [...]

There has been a great deal of interest in the upcoming auction of the farms, packing facilities, equipment and other assets owned by East Brokers Brokers and Packers and the Madonia family. As noted in the press release elsewhere on our site, the Chapter 11 Trustee has now filed papers with the United States Bankruptcy [...]

As farmers, we are careful to plant our crops at the right time, in proper fertility and properly prepared soil. We know the right techniques for growing a good crop, and we implement them religiously. We’d never dream of sowing our seeds randomly, at the wrong time of the year, and expecting a good yield. [...]

Farmers understand commodities. The essence of a commodity is that one is pretty much like another. A bushel of corn is a bushel of corn. It will accomplish the same thing as the next bushel, so you buy it at the lowest price you can. It’s a good system that works — for a commodity. [...]

One of the rewarding aspects of my career is the opportunity to help promising agriculture students finance their education through the Murray Wise Associates Foundation scholarships. We’re approaching the March 31 deadline for new applicants, and I’m hoping we get a large number of applicants. Eligible applicants include high school seniors accepted for enrollment at [...]

As I noted a few days ago, folks who were saying a couple of years ago that they’d wait and buy farmland at lower prices are still waiting. And now — right here in my own county — we just saw prices go higher still. With a whole room full of people, I feel sure [...]

Three or four years ago, people began to suggest that farmland prices were getting too high for their taste. Some suggested that “maybe I’ll wait and get them at a lower price later.” This week, a co-worker asked if any of those people had succeeded in buying at a lower price. I couldn’t think of [...]