Turn-key Cattle Operation Auction Attracts 68 Potential Buyers, Ends up in Local Hands

The sale of Woodhill Farms on Sept. 19 in Viroqua, Wisconsin, generated interest from buyers across the country. 

“We had about as much interest as you can have on a sale with this one,” said Travis Smock, a Peoples Co. agent who handled the 14-parcel auction. “A sale of this size is uncommon for this area where very little land changes hands publicly. And it’s a high-quality property that was well managed for a lot of years. You put all those things together and you’ll have a lot of interest.”

 That interest came from farmers and investors in Wisconsin and beyond the Midwest. “We had bidders from Massachusetts to California and a few states in between,” Smock said. In all, there were a total of 68 individuals or groups from eight states registered to bid in the auction. The sale price of about $6,644,000 exceeded expectations, Smock added.

The auction took over four hours, which is longer than most. “We had a lot of active bidding,” said Adam Crist, another Peoples agent working on the sale. “Even though there were only two buyers in the end.” However, if the property would have gone to the runner-up bidders, there would have been a total of 12 different buyers made up of local and out of area investors, he added.

About 200 people came to watch on auction day to see who would buy the land.

The buyers

The buyer of tracts 1 through 13 plans to keep the land as a cattle farm, according to Crist. He says the buyer of Tract 14 plans to use it recreationally. Even though there were bidders from all around the country, the two eventual buyers were from the surrounding area where the farm is located. Tracts 1 through 13 sold for $6,435,000, about $8,169 per acre, and Tract 14 sold for $210,000, about $6,681 per acre.

The property

Viroqua is located about 30 miles southeast of La Crosse in Vernon County, close to the Mississippi River. The farm is nestled in the rolling hills of the Driftless Area. This region was untouched by the last glacial period over 10,000 years ago, creating rich soils. Crist says the town has become a tourist destination known for its growing local food movement and cultural scene. 

Woodhill Farms is made up of 818 acres, including farmland, pasture, and recreational land. Over 400 acres is pastureland and 187 acres is row crop. The building sites include homes, three separate cattle working facilities, multiple paddock areas, a newer sale barn, and multiple other barns and sheds. The pasture has been meticulously managed with rotational grazing, ensuring that grasses remain lush and healthy while providing optimal nutrition for cattle, according to Peoples. Portions of the grazing land could easily be converted to row crops, Crist said, which is part of why there was high interest in this sale. He also said large, contiguous tracts of land are a rarity in the Midwest, especially those with opportunities for turn-key cattle operations. The farm can easily support 300 cow-calf pairs.

The sellers

The property has been operated as Woodhill Farms since 1984. It was owned by two couples: Dan and Ann Borgen and Brian and Lori McCulloh. The Borgen family’s history in the area goes back over a century to when the first farm was purchased in 1902. Over the years, the Borgens expanded their land base to nearly 400 acres. In 1984, the McCullohs partnered with the Borgens to start Woodhill Farms. Together, they bought more land and grew the cattle operation from 35 registered Angus cows to over 280.

Brian Mculloh says selling the property was a difficult decision. Because his children and the Borgen children chose careers outside cattle farming, there was no one to continue the operation after they retire. 

McCulloh said there is sadness in selling the operation, but also a sense of pride in what they accomplished. “Woodhill Farms is the epitome of what is possible when the right people connect. It took 40 years to build this success.” He also said he’s hopeful for the future. “The beauty of what we built is that it can be someone else’s story.” 

The farm received the Certified Angus Beef Seed Stock Producer “Commitment to Excellence” Award in 2000 and the Wisconsin Beef Improvement Association “Seed Stock Producer of the Year” in 1996, according to the farm’s website. Brian McCulloh was awarded the Angus Heritage Award in 2020.

Economic analysis

The sale of the farm brought an average $8,123 an acre. This is higher than the average sale price in Wisconsin, according to statistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm Management Division of Extension. Heather Schlesser, who compiles these numbers, said $6,384 is the average so far for 2024. The lowest price for land sold in Vernon County this year was $2,264 and the highest was $9,886, she added.  

Since 2020, land prices in Wisconsin have increased, but the rate at which they are increasing is slowing. The average price of agricultural land sold in Wisconsin in 2023 was $5,890 per acre. This is a 6% increase from 2022, down from an 11% increase from 2021 to 2022. The most drastic increase was from 2020 to 2021, with a 14% increase. 

The number of acres sold is also continuing a downward trend. In 2023, there were 68,206 acres sold compared to just 32,990 this year, according to Schlesser. She adds that since the year is not over, it is hard to say how the total acres will compare.

Tract breakdown

Tract 1

• Acres: 77.40 
• Estimated Farm Service Agency (FSA) cropland acres: 75.96
• Productivity index (PI): 78.3
• Soils: Primary soil types include Mt. Carroll, Seaton, and Worthen silt loam. 
• Description: Long straight rows, fertility-rich soils, and good access to a road.
  

Tract 2

• Acres: 60.61
• Estimated FSA cropland acres: 57.25
• PI: 80.1
• Soils: Primary soil types include Mt. Carroll and Seaton silt loam. 
• Description: Straight rows, excellent soils, good fertility, and hard-surfaced access to a road.
  

Tract 3

• Acres: 46.59
• Estimated FSA cropland acres: 26.51
• PI: 79.8
• Soils: The predominant soil types on this tract are Mt. Carroll, Seaton, and Pepin silt loams.
• Description: There are 5.78 row-crop acres and approximately 39.21 pasture acres. There is potential for many of the pasture acres to be converted into tillable land. 
  

Tract 4

• Acres: 58.94 acres of pastureland plus a 56- x 64-foot pole shed and a 36- x 64-foot cattle shed. 
• Description: There are 220 feet of fence line J-Bunks and a well is located on this tract, making this ideal for a building site or smaller cattle operation.  
  

Tract 5

• Acres: 31.85 acres of pasture land with an estimated 26.50 that could be converted to cropland
• PI: 78.3 for potential cropland
• Soils: The primary soil types include Mt. Carroll, Seaton, and Pepin silt loams. 
• Description: This tract presents an investment opportunity with the opportunity to split into high-end building sites with high-elevation, panoramic views overlooking the tranquil dry pond area and expansive land to the south.
  

Tract 6

• Acres: 27.74
• Description: This property offers an opportunity for avid hunters looking for a smaller recreational land parcel in the highly desirable heart of Vernon County. The tract features dense, heavily timbered draws that create multiple pinch points, making it ideal for hunting. This area is renowned for its abundance of Boone and Crockett-class whitetails.
  

Tract 7

• Acres: 118.31 acres with 9.26 acres in row crop and the balance in pasture
• PI: 77.9 for the estimated 108.32 potential tillable acres
• Soils: The highly productive soils consist of Mt. Carroll, Pepin, and Seaton silt loam.
• Description: The soil types and layout along the top of a ridge create a parcel for potential high row-crop production. 
  

Tract 8

• Acres: 55.85
• Description: The land features over 46 acres of dense hardwoods, a stream that provides ample water for wildlife, multiple stand locations, thick cover, and neighboring food sources. 
  

Tract 9

• Acres: 56.74 acres with cattle facilities and homes
• Description: This tract served as the main cattle operation for Woodhill Farms since its inception, which is comprised of two homes, a modern sale barn, a newer cattle handling shed, a shop, three cattle barns, six paddock areas with waterers and J-bunks, and additional pasture space. 
  

Tract 10

• Acres: 19.25 acres with a home and several buildings
• Description: This tract includes an updated 1,672 square-foot story-and-a-half home, a newer oversized detached garage, two newer outbuildings, and multiple paddock areas for cattle. 
  

Tract 11

• Acres: 45.42
• PI: 77.6
• Soils: The main soil types are Mt. Carroll, Pepin, and Seaton silt loams. 
• Description: This tract could remain a highly productive pasture farm or there is potential for approximately three quarters of the farm to be converted to row-crop production.
  

Tract 12

• Acres: 59.80
• Estimated FSA cropland acres: 47.79 
• PI: 79.6
• Soils: The primary soil is Mt. Carroll silt loam. 
• Description: The balance of the land is in pasture. In addition to the productive land, there is a large feed bunker measuring 38x80x8-feet tall with a concrete floor and sidewalls.
  

Tract 13

• Acres: 129.21
• Soils: The main soil types are Pepin, Seaton, and Mt. Carroll silt loams.
• Description: Just under half, 60.15 acres, are in pasture and the remainder is thick timber and recreational land. The pasture area has the potential to remain pasture, or a large portion could be planted to row crops. The thick timberland area offers ample recreational and timber marketing opportunities and includes a trout stream. 
  

Tract 14

• Acres: 30.61
• Description: The tract offers opportunities for hunting, fishing, and outdoor activities. Tainter Creek, a class 1 trout stream, flows through the far northwest corner of the property.
  

Produced in partnership with American Farmland Owner (AFO). AFO aims to help landowners make informed decisions for their farmland while ensuring the prosperity of American agriculture.