Family farm set to auction off equipment next week
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Winnipeg Free Press subscription for only
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $4.99 a X percent off the regular rate.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
A few hundred pieces of farm equipment are up for sale next week as several members of a Virden family farm retire.
Grain carts, livestock trailers, flatbed trailers, truck tractors, fertilizer spreaders, combines and more will go on auction on March 26. The equipment comes up for sale as three local farmers at the Chapman Bros. Farms step back.
Darren Chapman, his cousin Rob Chapman and Rob’s brother-in-law Jeff Elliott will retire this year from their farm south of Virden.
“We’ve been farming all our lives,” Darren said in a phone call with the Sun. “We are all looking for a bit more time, before we get too old.”
The three men are posting more than 340 items for sale. They represent years of accumulation as the family farm started in the ‘60s under Darren and Rob’s fathers, who sold it to the next generation in the early 2000s.
As time carries on, the retirement sale this year includes equipment Darren’s father worked with back in the 20th century, such as a rototiller.
“They used it for breaking some hay in our fields,” said Darren. “So, that’s hard to believe, that little thing.”
There will be no in-person bidding for items, as the auction is set to take place online via the Ritchie Bros. website, which has more information here: https://www.rbauction.com/heavy-equipment-auctions/virden-mb-2025510
People are welcome, however, to take a look at equipment and ask questions by visiting the farm, said Darren. Directions to the property and contact information are posted on the auction website.
Most pieces of equipment were accumulated as the younger generation of Chapmans and Jeff Elliott farmed the land until 2025. The family used the equipment through last year’s harvest and have since cleaned the items up and readied them for sale.
The equipment comes from a variety of farming, such as canola, wheat, barley, some wheat and some cattle.
As the three partners retire, they leave the family farm in the hands of their fourth partner, Perry Chapman, who has decided to keep farming. Perry told the Sun he will not retire this March but plans to keep working. He briefly commented that he’ll work to keep the farm going for the next generation if possible.
Darren said the family members will continue to support the farm work. In retirement, they will lend a hand when needed and rent out the land to Perry as he takes the helm.
When asked about the sentiment of retiring after so many years, Darren said “it hasn’t sunk in yet.” But he said he and his partners don’t have big plans to move away or change their lives. They’ll continue to help out around the family farm.
“It’s not as big a deal as if you’re quitting cold turkey.”
» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com