Iowa family’s 84-year farming legacy ends as 1,209 acres go up for auction

For 84 years, the Woods family lived on and worked a growing patchwork of farmland near Randalia in northeast Iowa. Tom Woods, who grew up in the area, steadily added acres to the operation as properties and funds became available, raising grain and cattle while also helping run a family wholesale business. Now that long chapter is closing as 1,209 acres are divided into 13 tracts and put up for auction, a sale that land agents describe as rare for Fayette County and the wider region, according to a report by Agriculture.com. Read on to know more about it here:A lifetime of gradual expansionTom Woods built the portfolio over decades, acquiring land whenever the opportunity arose. He farmed the ground himself, producing grain and running cattle, while also contributing to Woods Brothers Wholesale Co., a business he founded with family members in the 1950s. His son worked alongside him on the farm from 1980 to 2014, ensuring that the next generation was deeply involved in day-to-day operations, as per Agriculture.com.The result was a well-maintained and highly productive set of farms. According to Peoples Company, the land has received extensive tile drainage, has a strong production...