Farm equipment industry legend Conrad Clement is Machinery Pete’s “Pick of the Week.” Clement, 80, passed away on May 6 at his home in Decorah, Iowa.
After getting his start as a mechanic at his local implement dealer in Iowa, Clement moved to Grand Meadow, Minn., where he founded the pre-internet auction house Midwest Auctions in 1969. Clement also purchased Featherline Trailers in Cresco, Iowa, in 1989 and then went on to own the Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.
“We just want to send a shout-out and say thank you to Conrad for all his contributions to the ag community in Minnesota, Iowa and beyond,” Machinery Pete says. “And another shout-out to Carroll Olson from Atkinson, Neb. Now, Carroll passed away some time ago but his online estate auction was just last Wednesday by our friends at Big Iron. Carroll was quite a legendary figure out in Nebraska.”
Olson’s pair of Big Bud Tractors, both 1979 52550 models (one is pictured above), were auctioned off last week. One of the machines brought $77,500 and the other went for $78,000.
If you want to learn more about Conrad Clement’s legacy in the farm equipment world, check out the YouTube video above. Machinery Pete put it together last year during a visit to Minnesota.
John Deere 8285R, S780 Bring In Big Bids
Pete also highlighted a pair of used John Deere machines that caught his eye from last week’s auction results:
- A 2012 8285R tractor with 975 hours (shown above) sold for $211,200 at a farm retirement auction helmed by Purple Wave Auction in Rogersville, Mo. Pete says that is the eighth highest auction price of all-time on a 8285R.
- A 2024 S780 combine with 288 hours sold for $425,250 on May 14 at an online farm auction in Belleville, Kan.
Bonus Pete: If you missed Machinery Pete’s segment on “AgDay” talking about vintage farm equipment that recently sold at auction you can check it out at the video below.
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