Terms & Conditions

By accepting the terms and conditions of this auction you acknowledge you are entering into a legal and binding contract. You agree to abide by all terms and conditions and you acknowledge receipt of all explanations and information made available by Steffes Group, Inc., also referred to as Steffes Group or Company. 

Payment

When paying within the stated time and with our acceptable payment methods: 

• A 7% buyer's premium (5% Buyer's Premium with 2% Internet Fee)applies to items purchased on Live Webcast Auctions.

You agree to make payment for all online purchases in U.S. funds within 2 business days of receipt of invoice by one of the acceptable forms of payment unless approval of financing arrangements is made with Steffes Group. To issue a check by fax, simply write a check as you normally would and fax a copy to us. All NSF checks will be charged a $30 fee. Checks by mail are not an accepted form of payment. Any other form of payment, other than the listed acceptable payment methods are subject to an additional 3% buyer's fee on the full amount of the purchase. No items will be released until full payment clears our office.

Acceptable forms of payment:

• Bank Wire Transfer; please call for wire instructions to be emailed to you.
• Check delivered to our office that held the auction
• Check By Phone

West Fargo, Sioux Falls, Grand Forks 701-237-9173

Litchfield 320-693-9371

Mt. Pleasant, Ames 319-385-2000

• Check By Fax

West Fargo, Sioux Falls, Grand Forks 701-237-0976

Litchfield 320-693-9373

Mt. Pleasant, Ames 319-385-4709

Sales Tax

All appropriate state sales tax laws will apply per the location and type of seller of the piece of equipment.

Please note that Minnesota does not consider regularly-scheduled consignment auctions as "auctions" but rather "consignment auctions," requiring sales tax to be charged unless the buyer provides an exemption form for qualifying items.

For purchases in South Dakota you are not exempt from any sales tax unless a 3^rd party transports your items and you take possession outside of the State of South Dakota. In that case, the state laws where you take possession are effective. There are exceptions for dealers (retailers).

Click on the following for a tax exempt form: Minnesota Tax Link    North Dakota Tax Link    Iowa Tax Link 

ND Dakota titled vehicles

Per North Dakota vehicle and sales tax laws, upon registration and licensing of any titled vehicle or trailer, any buyer’s premium paid is considered to be part of the sales price. Sales tax will be charged by the State of North Dakota on the entire sales price (including buyer’s premium) for any vehicle registered in North Dakota. 

If you have any questions concerning sales tax on a piece of equipment, please contact the appropriate state government agency at the location of the item on auction. 

ND Sales Tax Terms for Canadian Customers

 Used Farm Equipment

The sale, at auction, of used farm machinery to a Canadian farmer for agricultural use is exempt from sales tax the same as a North Dakota Farmer.

The purchase, at auction, of used farm machinery by a Canadian farm equipment dealer (retailer) would be sales taxable unless:

• You complete an exemption certificate with a ND sales tax permit number
• The purchased goods are shipped by a 3^rd party to you in Canada - in this case a delivery receipt must be provided to Steffes Group.

 New Farm Equipment

The sale, at auction, of new farm machinery to a Canadian farmer for agricultural use, or a Canadian farm equipment dealer (retailer) is taxable at the current state rate of 3% plus any local sales tax if applicable.  The law also provides that Canadians may apply for a refund of the tax paid when meeting certain requirements.  This form and conditions of use are available online at http://www.nd.gov/tax/salesand%20use/canrefund/. 

Agents for Sellers
Steffes Group, Inc. and its Employees act merely as agents for sellers. All auctions are with reserve unless specifically stated otherwise. Auctions are with undisclosed reserves unless advertised otherwise as "Absolute."  Auctioneers, at their discretion, may place a reserve bid on behalf of the seller. All final bids are subject to the seller's confirmation. Only the top bidder will be contacted as to the status of his/her bid. While the information we provide on item(s) is deemed correct, no warranties are expressed or implied as to any items being sold, and you agree to purchase and accept the item in an as-is condition. Information on items is obtained by us from the sellers and you hereby agree to hold harmless Steffes Group and our Employees for any errors or omissions regarding the item(s) being sold. This information includes but is not limited to year, model, machine or engine hours, physical condition, options, features and other data pertinent to the value of the item. All items are sold As-Is-Where-Is unless specific factory or seller issued warranties are listed in the item description.

Inspection

You acknowledge that you have the right and responsibility to inspect the item(s) personally, or to have a third party representative inspect the item(s) for you. That by bidding on an item you have agreed to accept that item in its present condition at its present location and with the description provided whether accurate or not. 

Auction Close

Timed-online auctions will begin to close on the date and time listed. Lots will remain open until no bids have been placed within the last 4 minutes. Timed-online auctions normally close at a rate of 3 lots every 2 minutes.  

Please note that some lots can be tied together and will be set to close simultaneously.  This will be indicated in those lots by a paper clip symbol.  Please hover your mouse over the symbol to see what lots are tied together. The paper clip symbol means that each lot tied will stay in extension until there are no more bids on any of the lots that are tied.

         Steffes Group reserves the right to close multiple lots per minute at its discretion. Upon your accepted bid of an item, that item shall immediately become your responsibility and be at your risk (whether you have paid for that item or not). You agree that Steffes Group, its employees, and its sellers are not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items and will not reimburse or discount items for any type of loss. Buyers are responsible for any costs incurred to prepare your item(s) for transport and/or shipping. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the cost of any rigging, dis-assembly, special loading requirements, transport, packaging, insurance, and all other costs related to physical transfer of your item(s). You agree to remit payment and remove from the auction property any purchases within the stated time for the auction being conducted. You further understand and agree that failure to remove items in the stated time for the auction will subject you to moving and storage fees unless arrangements have been made with the seller. 

Buyer Default

When using our online auction services you are making a firm commitment to purchase said item(s) and are entering into a legal and binding contract. Bids may not be cancelled or retracted for any reason. 

Non-paying bidders or fraudulent bidding will subject you to legal recourse and possible criminal charges including any fraud and/or interstate commerce violations. 

Internet Risk

You acknowledge that the internet may be an unreliable and error-prone network. Steffes Group will not guarantee that bids placed online will always be transmitted to or received by the auctioneer in a timely fashion. You agree to hold Steffes Group, Inc. and its employees harmless for any interruptions in online bidding. At the sole discretion of the Company, the auction may be suspended, postponed, or cancelled if internet service is unstable or disrupts the online portion of any event that is simulcast as an Internet Auction. 

Further, the auctioneer has the sole discretion to accept or refuse any bid. Steffes Group retains the right, at our sole discretion, to add, delete, or change some or all of our online services and the terms and conditions governing their online auctions at any time without notice. 

Abandonment Policy

Steffes Group provides this Abandonment Policy to inform you of our policies and procedures regarding any purchased item(s)/property that has not been removed by a buyer in a timely manner. Upon winning the bid for an item(s), after paying for item(s) purchased, a buyer is obligated to remove the item(s) from the auction site within a timely manner. 

Steffes Group may deem a buyer's failure to claim and remove equipment within 60 days following the close of an auction as evidence of buyer's intention to abandon the property. In these instances, the Company may take action that is adverse to buyer's interest in the property, including, but not limited to steps to dispose of the property. 

Disposition of property may include a variety of approaches based upon the buyer's purchase price of the property as follows: 

1) For those items with a final selling price of $5,000 or less, the Company will determine the appropriate disposition approach which may include:

• Removing and disposing as the Company sees fit.
• Allowing seller to retain or scrap.
• Sell the item(s), whereby the Company will remit the sales proceeds to the buyer, less selling and advertising expenses, storage costs, plus 20% administrative fee. 

2) For those items with a final selling price of greater than $5,000, Steffes Group may remove the item from the selling location and resolve as follows:

• The Company may reimburse the seller on the buyer's behalf for storage fees of $25 per day, with the total amount not to exceed $1,500.
• Sell the item(s), whereby the Company will remit the sales proceeds to the buyer, less selling and advertising expenses and storage costs, plus 20% administrative fee. 

If a buyer with the winning bid has not removed the purchased item(s) from selling location within 10 business days after the close of the auction, the buyer will be responsible for directly paying the seller any and all storage fees if levied by the seller. If levied by the seller, storage fees will be $25 per day beginning the 10th day after the close of the auction/winning bid.

FOUR REAL ESTATE AUCTIONS

Three Dairy Sites – One Cattle Setup

Elmwood, Illinois – New London, Iowa – Lovilia, Iowa

Auctioneer’s Note: Don’t miss your opportunity to name your PRICE!  Steffes Group, Inc. is pleased to have been selected to conduct this LARGE dispersal of the real estate of the former dairies of Etcher Family Farms, LLC, Etcher Farms, Inc.,
and DBE Farms, Inc.  All four auctions will be held at the Steffes Group Auction Facility in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Tracts #2, 3 & 4 sell absolute and will sell to the highest bidder, regardless of price!”

Auction held at the Steffes Group Auction Facility, 2245 East Bluegrass Road, Mt. Pleasant, IA.

Open Houses of the Real Estate will be on Tuesday, July 23^rd, from 10-Noon.

Tract #1: 1,600 Head Dairy on 73.94 Acres M/L
Located at 23318 W Taggert Road & 3913 N Wiley Road, Elmwood, IL

This 1600 head dairy has a milking center which is a 114’x286’ steel framed building.  In the milking center there is an office area with two offices, break room, storage room, utility/furnace room and two restrooms.  Above the office is a conference room and a two bedroom apartment with a ¾ bath.  The connected milking center is a double 24 parallel milking parlor, holding pen with pneumatic gate and a single 8 milking parlor with a separate holding tank.  There is an enclosed double tanker bay, a water room and air compressor/utility room.  There is a generator shed with a Caterpillar 500KW diesel backup generator & transfer switch.

There are three freestanding buildings to include a 118’x440’ steel framed building with a working area with hyd. working chute & head gate and (2) 102’x564’ steel framed buildings with covered alleyways.

Other buildings include a 7 bay commodity shed, approx. 200’x300’ silage bunker, 32’x44’ shop with a water holding tank, second generator shed(not in use), 10’x70’ scale, 1 well and backup water system out of the pond.  All situated on 73.94 acres M/L.

Also included in this Tract is a two bedroom home, located at 3913 N Wiley Road.  The 1,104 sq.ft. berm home was built in 1940 and has a detached garage, situated on 1.87 acres M/L.

Included: Hyd. working chute, Backup generators, All items present on the day of closing.

Not included: Fuel tanks, LP tanks

Tract #1 - Real Estate Taxes
Parcel #11-29-100-005
Net       $27,810.12
Parcel #46-29-100-005
Net      $831.56
Parcel #11-29-100-003
Net      $2,302.00

Terms for Tract #1: 10% down payment on August 8, 2019. Balance due at closing with a projected date of September 20, 2019.  Personal check or cash is acceptable for down payment; balance shall be paid by cash, certified check or wire transfer. Full possession will be given at the time of closing.  Title Insurance in the full amount of the purchase price will be provided by the seller. The 2019 real estate taxes, due and payable in 2020, will be prorated to the date of closing.  The 2020 real estate taxes & subsequent years will be paid by the buyer.  Immediately following the auction of the real estate, the successful buyer shall enter into a written contract with the seller.  Said contract will be available for review prior to the auction.

Owner: DBE Farms, Inc.

Tim Meyer: Illinois Licensed Auctioneer #441.001748 - Illinois RE Managing Broker #471.006809. 2245 East Bluegrass Road, Mt. Pleasant, IA

Tract #2: 1,200 Head Dairy on 39.04 Acres M/L
Located at 2401 240^th Street, New London, IA.

This 1200 head dairy was built in 1999 with (2) Butler 95’x620’ and (1) Butler 95’x330’ steel framed free stall buildings with concrete floors & covered alleyways.  The connected milking center is a double 24 parallel milking parlor, holding pen with pneumatic gate, 3 tanker loading docks, utility rooms, front offices with break room and a ½ bath.  There is a working area with a hyd. working chute & two head gates.

Other buildings include a Butler 40’x60’ steel framed shop, 40’x60’ hoop building, 7 bay commodity shed, concrete silage storage trench and 4 bulk bins.  There is a 10’x70’ scale with Cardinal 210 scale head.  There is also a 3 bedroom, 1,352 sq. ft. home on the property.  Property is serviced by a well.  All situated on 39.04 acres M/L.

Included:  Hyd. working chute, Pit pump, Backup generator, All items present on the day of closing.

Not included: 500 gal. LP tank, Silage (sells online closing August 8th, 1PM)

Tract #2 - Real Estate Taxes
Parcel # 200090840000500
Gross                            $9,354.44
Ag Cr.                              ($25.10)
Net                               $9,330.00

Silage Auction - Timed Online | Closing: Thursday, August 8th, 2019 at 1:00PM

Independent measurement shows approx. 2,000 ton of silage. Steffes Group, Inc. encourages all potential bidders to
make their own onsite inspection & measurements and bid accordingly. Silage will be sold lump sum price. 5% Buyer’s Premium.
Silage is located on Tract #2, 2401 240th Street, New London, IA. Buyer will have until October 8, 2019 for removal of silage.
< Click Here > for information on this Timed Online auction

Tract #3: 700 Head Dairy on 101.93 Surveyed Acres
Located at 5778 130^th Street, Lovilia, IA.

The milking center parlor is a 60’x80’ building with a 40 stall Westfalia Autorotor Carousel Parlor System, this building has offices, utility room and holding tanks.  The attached 60’x70’ building has a Westfalia Hydra-glide crowd gate with an attached 120’x224’ free stall barn.  Other buildings to include 56’x200’, 60’x100’ & approx. 50’x60’ free stall barns, 52’x75’ cattle shed.  There are two additional cattle buildings on the west side of the property, 88’x300’ and 64’x200’.  There is a 5 bay, 24’x60’ commodity building adjacent to the silage bunker.  Grain storage includes a 6,800 bu. Harvestore, 12,000 bu. grain bin, (2) 5,800 bu. grain bins, 3,000 bu. grain bin & 1 small grain bin.  There are numerous other smaller buildings on this property.  An added bonus to this dairy are the ten homes and two office trailers that are on this property.  The property is serviced by rural water and a well for backup.  The 103 acres M/L offers pasture and tillable land.

Included: Hyd. working chute, All items present on the day of closing.

Not included: 2019 Crops, LP tanks, All personal property of tenant’s.

Tract #3 - Real Estate Taxes
Part of Parcels #040-6-17-017-000-000, #040-6-17-015-000-000, #040-6-17-014-000-000, #040-6-17-013-000-000, #040-6-17-012-000-000
Gross                            $4,867.51
Ag Cr.                              ($59.61)
Family Farm Cr.               ($41.58)
Net                               $4,768.00 Approx.

Tract #4: Cattle Setup on 35.37 Surveyed Acres 
Located at 1405 576^th Avenue, Lovilia, IA

This cattle setup has a 106’x330’ free stall barn and a 64’x200’ pole frame machine shed.  Other buildings include a 80’x60’ and a 42’x60’ cattle shed.  Approximate grain storage includes 11,000 bu. grain bin & (2) 6,000 bu. grain bins, 3,000 bu. grain bin and a 500 ton concrete silo.  There is a bunker mixing area beside the silo with a loading dock.  This property also has a 1,920 sq.ft. home with a detached garage. The property is serviced by rural water and a well for backup. 

Included: All items present on the day of closing.

Not included: LP tank, All personal property of tenant’s.

Tract #4 - Real Estate Taxes
Part of Parcels #040-8-28-002-000-000, #040-8-28-009-000-000, #040-8-28-003-000-000, 040-8-28-012-000-000
Gross                            $2,182.90
Homestead Cr.              ($155.19)
Ag Cr.                              ($17.03)
Family Farm Cr.               ($11.88)
Net                               $2,000.00 Approx.

Terms on Tracts #2-4
Terms: 10% down payment on August 8, 2019. Balance due at closing with a projected date of September 20, 2019, upon delivery of merchantable abstract and deed and all objections have been met.
Possession: Projected date of September 20, 2019.  (Subject to tenant’s rights on the tillable land)
Real Estate Taxes:  To be prorated to date of possession on the basis of the last available tax statement.  Seller shall pay any unpaid real estate taxes payable in prior years.

Special Provisions on All Tracts:

• This is a 5% buyer’s premium auction.  This means the buyer’s premium in the amount of five percent (5%) of the bid amount shall be charged to the Buyer and added to the bid amount to arrive at the total contract purchase price.
• The tillable ground is rented for the 2019 farming season.  It shall be the obligation of the buyer to serve termination to the tenant, prior to September 1, 2019, if so desired.
• It shall be the obligation of the buyer to report to the appropriate County FSA office and show filed deed in order to receive the following if applicable:   A. Allotted base acres;  B. Any future government programs;  C.  Final tillable acres will be determined by the appropriate County FSA office.
• It shall be the buyer’s responsibility and expense to inspect, repair and/or update, if needed, the home & office septic systems and acquire the DNR Time of Transfer certificate for the home & office septic systems.  This shall be done prior to closing.
• The seller shall not be obligated to furnish a survey on Tracts #1 & 2.  Tracts #3 & 4 will be surveyed by a licensed surveyor.
• This auction sale is not contingent upon Buyer’s financing or any other Buyer contingencies.
• Purchasers who are unable to close due to insufficient funds or otherwise, will be in default and the deposit money will be forfeited.
• The buyer shall be responsible for any fencing in accordance with state law
• If in the future a site clean-up is required it shall be at the expense of the buyer.
• This real estate is selling subject to any and all covenants, restrictions, encroachments and easements, as well as all applicable zoning laws.
• The buyer acknowledges that they have carefully and thoroughly inspected the real estate and are familiar with the premises. The buyer is buying this real estate in its "as is" condition and there are no expressed or implied warranties pertaining to the real estate.
• Steffes Group, Inc. is representing the Seller.
• Any announcements made the day of sale take precedence over advertising.

Owners: Etcher Family Farms, LLC & Etcher Farms, Inc.

For details contact auction manager Nate Larson of Steffes Group, 319.385.2000 or by cell, 319.931.3944

Tim Meyer: Illinois Licensed Auctioneer #441.001748 - Illinois RE Managing Broker #471.006809