By ANDREA MCCANN
Indiana Correspondent

SULLIVAN, Ind. — Four auctioneers took bids from 799 registered bidders on more than 1,000 items left by 171 consignors at the sixth annual Sullivan High School FFA Auction.

Consignors and bidders came from as far away as Iowa and Maryland for the April 4 auction at the Sullivan County Fairgrounds. “It’s by far the largest (FFA auction) in the state, maybe the largest in the country,” said Jeff Boston of Jeff Boston Auction Service, LLC, which has promoted and conducted the auction since its inception.
He said each year the auction grosses more than the previous year. This year’s auction grossed more than $600,000, according to Boston. Although it would be a few days before total numbers were available, he said, roughly $20,000 worth of sales were donated directly to the FFA by generous business owners and consigners.

He said 92 bags of seed corn and 32 bags of seed beans were donated by area dealers, with all proceeds going to Sullivan FFA.
The seed corn, Boston said, went for $130-$200, and the beans sold for $42.50 per bag.

“A lot of the proceeds come from donated items,” explained Justin McKain, Sullivan County FFA Alumni vice president.

Some individuals made monetary donations, according to Boston. One gentleman sold a trailer for which he’d paid $1,600 new; to his surprise and delight, it brought $1,850 at the auction.

“He said, ‘Take out the commission you’re supposed to, and whatever the difference is between what’s left and $1,600, donate to FFA,’” Boston said.

Many of the items consigned this year brought excellent prices, according to the auctioneer. Cattle panels that run for $19 new, brought $22 – both new and used – at the auction. Fence posts brought $4.25-$4.50 apiece.

“We had an awful interesting little tractor called a Centaur here,” Boston said, explaining that it was a 1940s or 1950s model. “The consignor was hoping it’d bring $500, and it brought $1,600 … The highest bid was on a John Deere 6120 four-wheel drive tractor that brought $40,000.”

Some people bid with their hearts, while others are looking for bargains, according to Boston. Eric Chrisman drove about 150 miles from Switzerland County for the auction, which he saw advertised in Farm World. He thought prices were good, so he bought a couple lawnmowers and a golf cart. Chrisman said he buys the equipment and resells it.

Sissy and Kevin Fitch, of Jasonville, found many bargains. They said they bought several small items, such as a truck jack, small air compressors, a tire set and chains. “There’s a lot of stuff going really, really cheap,” Sissy said.

Kevin added, “We’ve been coming here for two or three years, and I’ve always thought it’s a pretty nice sale.”

The Fitches said another FFA auction they attended in a neighboring county didn’t have many consignors, and they didn’t find anything to their liking. They surmised people must be hanging onto their used equipment because, with the economy in poor condition, they can’t afford to replace it.

But that wasn’t the case in Sullivan County, where auction items ranged from crocks to combines.

“It’s a sale that offers something for almost everyone, whether it’s a homeowner or a farmer – big and small,” said FFA Alumni President Rusty Deckard, adding the auction also offers a way for people to sell items when they don’t have enough pieces for an auction of their own.

The annual sale has many other benefits. McKain pointed out the auction benefits county businesses by bringing in consignors and bidders for the day or the weekend. While they’re in the area, they purchase food, gas and other necessities.

According to Deckard, Sullivan FFA members have an ongoing community development project called “Project Impact” that’s funded with some money made from the auction. Project Impact focuses on making the fairgrounds handicapped-accessible and placing concrete in areas of the fairgrounds that tend to be muddy.
Other proceeds from the sale fund scholarships, leadership camps and field trips for FFA members, according to FFA Chapter President Kelli Kirschner.

“We send two people to Washington Leadership Camp,” she said. “The chapter selects the participants based on chapter involvement. We try to send future leaders of the chapter to it. It’s a great experience.”

Chapter Advisor Jeff Miller said the FFA has about 80 members, although not all are active, and the newly activated alumni chapter has about 30 members. With an estimated 2,000 people on the grounds for the auction and so many items being sold, he said it takes a lot of manpower to run the auction.

“This year, getting the alumni on board has made it run smoother,” he added.

According to McKain, preparation for the next year’s auction begins immediately after the current year’s auction, and the actual work begins around the first of each calendar year.