The odds that the land will be bought by a farmer rather than a developer may not be large, but we can hope.
Maybe the difference will be split, and an investor will buy it and lease out the farming rights.
That's essentially what's been done with the land for the last decade and more. I've always enjoyed passing these fields as I come in to my place, and have always used the various stages of work, from planting in the spring tithe stubble of winter as one of my indices of time passing here.
But that's changeless time, season after season of crops, work, rest, and changelessness is an illusion at best.
The auction is about six weeks from now. Not much time to savor something I thought changeless.
But when is there ever?