Predictions pointed to a slowdown. The Upper Midwest answered with record-setting land sales, resilient equipment demand, and grassland values that surged on the back of a powerful cattle market. We break down why 2025 refused to dip and how smart marketing, live auctions, and confident buyers kept the momentum rolling.

We walk through the year, from a fast start in Pembina and Traill Counties to a standout run in Cass County, where multiple quarters hit five-figure per-acre prices. Minnesota held a tight $8,000 to $8,700 band across thousands of acres, and South Dakota delivered wins where they mattered most: local operators secured legacy tracts, irrigated ground topped expectations at $11,500 per acre, and pasture demand accelerated as supply tightened. In the Black Hills, a rare Custer County property with direct views of Mount Rushmore demonstrated how scenery, access, and adjacency to Custer State Park can create its own category of value.

On the iron side, the story was condition and representation. Magnum 310s, 8R410s, and S770 combines led a strong set of results, proving that clean, well-documented machines still command premium bids—even with historically high combine inventories. Livestock strength spilled into machinery, lifting loaders, balers, rakes, and portable panels. Most importantly, shifting our Upper Midwest sale from timed online to a live, multi-platform format unlocked fivefold growth, blended the urgency of the chant with nationwide reach, and showed exactly how to build competition without forcing consignors to move equipment.

You’ll hear how we structure complex multi-parcel ranches by following natural boundaries—water, fence, power, access—to protect legacy while widening the buyer pool. We also unpack a simple truth: fewer registered bidders doesn’t mean fewer buyers when confidence is high and information is clear. If you care about farmland values, pasture demand, high-horsepower tractors, and the future of live auctions, this recap is your roadmap for 2026.

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The roar of engines is just the opening note. What started as a handful of car lovers swapping stories in the 1970s has become a weekend that fills Bowman’s Main Street, books every hotel, and draws families from across the Upper Midwest. We sit down with Ryan Shear and Kevin Hilton from the Dakota Territory Car Club to share how a leadership reset and a back-to-basics approach transformed a small-town show into a regional anchor between Bismarck-Mandan and Cool Deadwood Nights.

We dig into the club’s secret sauce: show up, help out, and make it easy for people to belong. Membership swelled from a few dozen to nearly 200, with more than half joining for the social life as much as the chrome. Along the way, the club turned community need into action—staffing parades, serving burgers at show-and-shines, running indoor trunk-or-treat when the weather bites, and raising over $14,000 in one evening for a local medical benefit. That service-first mindset powers a weekend designed for neighbors and travelers alike: Friday night socials with pre-registration and vehicle previews, a Saturday morning breakfast, streets lined with cars, and kids’ games that keep the youngest gearheads smiling.

We also spotlight the classic car auction that now caps at 50 lots for quality and pace. It’s a Main Street spectacle that draws bidders from across the country and sends cars to new garages far beyond county lines. When the sun drops, the stage lights up for a free concert funded by local donors and sponsors—a promise that keeps the event welcoming and the sidewalks packed. Expect practical details on dates, how to pre-register for free until June, where to consign for the sale, and why this weekend has become a can’t-miss stop on the summer calendar.

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Record prices, local buyers, and a century of family history collide in a fast-paced look at how land really changes hands. We team up to unpack two headline auctions—a strong multi-parcel sale near Winner, South Dakota and a landmark $19 million, 14-parcel sprint outside Casselton, North Dakota—and share what these deals reveal about price discovery, timing, and who’s actually bidding when great ground opens up.

We start with the human side: fifth-generation stories, wagon trails that became field approaches, and heirs who know the farm by a tax bill more than a township road. Then we zoom into the mechanics that matter—parcel strategy, honest marketing, and the right lead time—so buyers can arrange financing and 1031 exchanges while sellers gain the confidence that comes from transparent competition. You’ll hear why the Winner area’s blend of cattle, crops, and pheasant hunting attracts diverse bidders, and how the Red River Valley’s loam, drainage, and proximity to processors set the stage for rapid bidding and a decisive finish.

The episode breaks down online versus live dynamics, explaining why high-stakes buyers sometimes prefer the focus of a screen while others feed off the energy in the room. We also tackle the market paradox: softer grain prices and higher rates, yet deep demand for quality acres. The throughline is simple—well-run auctions expose real value. Whether you’re considering a family sale, eyeing a neighboring quarter, or weighing an investment that pairs production with recreation, you’ll come away with a clear view of buyer profiles, pricing logic, and the preparation that turns uncertainty into action.

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Ever wonder why a field that looks “messy” in the fall can be the most valuable ground on the farm? We sit down with Paul, a third‑generation North Dakota producer, to unpack how no‑till, cover crops, and salinity management rebuilt soil structure, improved infiltration, and quietly raised the long‑term value of his land. His story starts with crop diversity after the Freedom to Farm Act and moves through the hard early years of saturated topsoil, compaction layers, and skeptical neighbors before the biology caught up.

Paul explains his simple definition of regenerative agriculture—regenerating the soil—and shows what that looks like on the ground: residue armor, living roots as long as the lawn is green, and tools like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi working below the surface. He details how satellite‑based zone maps revealed hidden salinity halos, why he keeps steel out of those areas, and how buffers seeded to tolerant grasses and alfalfa, supported by CSP, both protected soil and paid their way through haying. Along the way, wildlife returned; tall stubble sheltered sharp‑tailed grouse and boosted habitat across wetlands and pasture edges.

We also dig into cover crop strategy for short seasons: load the drill by August, prioritize roots over showy biomass, and keep mixes simple and cheap with oats, peas, and radish. For those curious about interseeding, Paul shares timing windows around wheat’s growth stages and lessons learned from dry and wet years. Finally, we translate soil health into dollars. Drawing on his graduate research, Paul quantifies the annual nutrient value tied to each percent of soil organic matter and how that knowledge shifts what farmers are willing to pay in rent or purchases. Add in NRCS programs like EQIP and CSP to de‑risk adoption, and regenerative practices start to look less like a gamble and more like a long‑term investment.

If this conversation sparks ideas for your fields, tap follow, share it with a neighbor who’s “cover‑curious,” and leave a review with your biggest soil challenge—we’ll bring back Paul for a Q&A.

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Rare land doesn’t wait. We open the gates on a decisive moment for ag buyers and sellers across the Upper Midwest, from a brisk harvest to a Casselton land auction that drew heavy, disciplined bidding and a single operator sweeping premium tracts. We talk through what set those parcels apart—soils, location near crush and ethanol plants, and development pressure—and why smart buyers are ignoring short‑term commodity noise to lock in long‑run productivity.

From there, we head northwest to a Bobells‑area quarter with strong soils and clean rent potential, then swing south and west to Bowman and Slope counties where mixed grass, hay land, and Little Beaver Creek frontage create diversified returns and standout hunting value. The spotlight turns to a tri‑state, 6,900‑acre ranch designed for 12‑month operations, with pipelines, wells, Box Elder and Sheep creeks, and interspersed cropland for feed security. With cattle prices at historic highs, we unpack how year‑round flexibility, water distribution, and unit sizing can reshape a buyer’s calculus heading into 2025.

If gear is your focus, we break down equipment you can put to work right now: late‑model UTVs, telehandlers, and skid steers at Steele; a Streeter estate anchored by a 9620RX and a low‑hour Fendt 1050 Vario plus a 624K high‑lift loader; and a live‑broadcast consignment stacked with livestock equipment, loader tractors, hay tools, and premium trailers. We also preview the South Dakota winter auction featuring utility wheel loaders, front‑assist tractors, sprayers, and more—all with live bidding to maximize transparency and discovery.

Ready to move on the right tract or machine? Explore details, photos, and bidding at Pifers.com. Subscribe for updates, share this episode with a neighbor who’s shopping land or iron, and leave a quick review to help more producers find the show.

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A family ranch, a hometown bank, and a region built on grit—this conversation brings them together to explain how modern agriculture actually works when the numbers get big and the margins get thin. We sit down with banker and lifelong ranch kid Duane Bowman to unpack the shift from two-hundred-thousand-dollar operating notes to multi-million-dollar lines, the rise of precision ag and seed genetics, and the reality of running million-dollar machinery on dryland acres. It’s a clear-eyed look at risk, growth, and the decisions that matter.

We start with the Bowman ranch story—custom feeding, backgrounding, and a long commitment to genetics that grew into a registered Angus program neighbors trust with their bids. That same neighbor-first mindset shapes Dakota Western Bank’s approach across Bowman, Scranton, Hettinger, and Regent: hire local, understand agriculture, and build relationships that last longer than a cycle. From coffee on Fridays to lending strategy, small-town banking turns out to be a competitive advantage when markets lurch and weather toys with your plans.

Then we go deep on the playbook. On the crop side: inputs, precision seeding, camera-guided spraying, and storage that supports smarter marketing when basis and futures aren’t cooperating. On the ranch side: record calf checks, facility and genetics upgrades, and why Livestock Risk Protection makes sense when bred heifers push four figures per head. We talk land and pasture, too—rising rents, out-of-area demand, and how cautious expansion beats chasing the last dollar. Through it all, the theme is discipline: protect the downside, invest in productivity, and don’t let short-term highs cloud long-term math.

If you care about agriculture, rural finance, or the way communities lift each other, this is a grounded, data-aware conversation that cuts through the noise. Subscribe for more candid stories from the people who seed, feed, and finance America—and leave a review to tell us what you want to hear next.

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Taxes shouldn’t decide the future of your farm. We sit down with Jody Robinson, VP of Tax Planning at Mariner Wealth Advisors, to unpack how the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” changes the game for landowners and the families who depend on them. From estate tax thresholds to capital gains strategies, we break down what actually matters when the goal is to keep acres in the family and options open.

We start with the bigger picture: how a higher, now “permanent,” federal estate tax exemption buys time and clarity for long-range planning, and why state-level rules can still spring surprises. Jody explains the step-up in basis in plain English and shows how it erases decades of appreciation for heirs, often preventing forced sales at the worst possible time. Then we pivot to active moves: 1031 exchanges to keep gains deferred and capital working, Qualified Opportunity Zones for an alternate deferral path, and portfolio tactics like tax-loss harvesting to soften the blow when sales are necessary.

Operators get a timely walkthrough of bonus depreciation’s return to 100% for qualifying assets such as equipment, irrigation, and grain bins. The upside is immediate cash flow relief; the catch is potential depreciation recapture when you sell. Jody lays out how to time purchases, align hold periods, and avoid trading short-term relief for a bigger tax bill later. We also dive into titling choices—individual, joint, trust, or entity—and how they affect control, transfer, and taxes. Finally, we tackle gifting versus inheriting: when lifetime gifts support continuity for an on-farm heir, and when waiting for inheritance preserves a step-up in basis for those likely to sell.

If you want a practical roadmap—clear steps, real trade-offs, and fewer landmines—this conversation delivers. Subscribe, share with someone planning a transition, and leave a review with your top tax question so we can cover it next.

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What does it really take to keep a small town alive—and help it grow? We sit down with developer and community leader Nathan Burseth to unpack how Colfax, North Dakota, paired housing with heart to attract families, remote workers, and retirees while strengthening its school and tax base. From the first 15 lots to multiple phases in Colfax Meadows, to the shop-friendly Trackside, to the barn dominium-focused Reserve, Nathan shows how choice, covenants, and city services create real momentum without losing the rural feel people love.

We dig into the practical playbook: municipal water and sewer on large lots, creative architecture with many builders, and fiber internet that lets Minneapolis or Chicago professionals work from the prairie. Nathan explains how a diversion settlement funded county-wide housing initiatives, reducing risk for builders and banks, and why home rehabilitation is a powerful lever for affordability and neighborhood renewal. Each new household matters; just a few students can change a district’s budget, keeping class sizes small and opportunities wide.

Community culture ties it together. The Richland 44 Foundation’s scholarships—up to $10,000 per graduate—plus a new events venue keep resources flowing to students and teachers, from dual-credit support to classroom tech. Add pheasants at dusk, kids biking to the pool, and a 20-minute interstate drive to Fargo’s jobs and concerts, and you have a compelling mix of small-town life with big-city access. If you care about the future of rural America—or you’re searching for a home where values and opportunity align—this conversation brings a blueprint you can use. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s “small-town curious,” and leave a review with the one idea your community should try next.

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