News
ABC fundraising auction cancelled
April 8, 2008
Mateusz Perkowski
Capital Press
The Agri-Business Council of Oregon's used equipment auction, scheduled for April 17, has been called off due to zoning restrictions at the planned auction site.
The fundraising event will be postponed until autumn, said Geoff Horning, the council's executive director.
Farmers are becoming increasingly busy with the onset of spring, so for their convenience, the council decided to hold the auction after the growing season ends, he said.
Also, people may be more inclined to donate machinery toward as the tax year draws to a close, Horning said.
"There may be some advantages to waiting until the end of the year," he said.
The council had about 25 to 30 pieces of equipment lined up for the auction, and expected to net between $25,000 and $50,000 for its Keeping Agriculture Viable program, Horning said.
The event was called off because Pacific Industrial Auctions, the hired organizer, wasn't permitted to hold the auction at a leased site in Albany, Ore. The location is zoned as an industrial park by the City of Albany, but outdoor heavy equipment sales do not fit that zoning definition.
Jake Cheechov, the company's owner, said he will look for a new site elsewhere along the I-5 corridor. The council will likely rehire Cheechov's firm for the autumn event, which has not been rescheduled yet, said Horning.
