This installment of the bid box is a good example of how some bidders will go the extra mile in making sure their bid is "different." While most bids I usually see are rounded to the nearest 10 or 50 dollars, some buyers will try to set themselves apart and submit a bid that is a few dollars higher than their competitors’ bids. This is especially true if the buyers know each other well. However, when it comes to walnut…well, some folks will sharpen their pencils even more, as seen here.

Greene County, Missouri

• 8 acres
• 37 black walnut trees; old; scattered along a creek bottom
• Estimated volume: 5,200 bd. ft. (Doyle Scale); two potential veneer trees
• Consulting forester valued the sale at $8,000
• Five bids received
  • $9,332.35
  • $8,280.00
  • $7,850.00
  • $6,507.50
  • $6,200.00
• Landowner took the high bid
• Return: $1,166 per acre   

If you are thinking about selling your timber, contact your professional forester now. A professional forester will not only help you get the highest price for the trees in your woodlots that need to be harvested, but will also help ensure future harvests are profitable. To help you become familiar with some of the aspects of selling timber, check out the following MU Extension publications:

• G5051, Selling Timber: What the Landowner Needs to Know
• G5057, Basic Elements of a Timber Sale Contract
• G5056, Managing Your Timber Sale Tax
• G5055, Determining Timber Cost Basis

These guides will help you better understand the ins and outs of marketing your timber and help you help your professional forester.