A crowd of 800, including 250 bidders, gathered at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield on January 21 and spent more than six hours and $24 million to acquire 4,000 acres of prime Illinois farmland.
The sale, which was conducted by Aumann Auctions, featured property in parts of four townships in Macoupin and Montgomery  counties. According to local news reports, it was considered one of the largest in Central Illinois in the last few years and averaged $6,255 per acre.