By Alex Gary - September 22nd 2024

 

BELOIT

A sixth-generation farming operation in Janesville bought more than 166 acres of farmland on West Finley Road for $1.55 million on Sept. 5.

It is the largest land deal in the Town of Beloit in 2024 and the fifth real estate deal of more than $1 million in the Beloit area this year.

W. Hughes Farms was the buyer. The Hughes family has been farming in Rock County since 1854. According to its website, the Hughes family farms more than 5,000 acres in Rock County and is somewhat of a specialist.

In 2023, the online farming website Farmprogress.com featured W. Hughes Farms and its evolution into organic and specialty crops such as lima beans, snap beans, kernza and blue corn. The Hughes family packages and sells blue corn tortilla chips under their own label.

W. Hughes Farms bought the land from the estate of Patricia Krug. Patricia and Raymond Krug were Town of Beloit farmers since the 1950s at 3414 W. Finley Road. Raymond died in 2012 and Patricia died on March 29.

Although the Beloit area’s economy is deeply tied to manufacturing, Rock County remains one of the top farming counties in the state and country. According to the 2022 farming census by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rock County had 1,350 operating farms that sold nearly $403 million worth of crops and livestock. Rock County ranked 13th in Wisconsin in terms of value of crops and livestock sold and 297th out of 3,243 acres in the United States.

W. Hughes Farm is one of the biggest operations in Rock County farming. Only 63 of the Rock County farms in 2022 owned more than 1,000 acres. Still, demonstrating how efficient farm operations have become, the Hughes family works those acres with just four full-time and eight seasonal employees, according to their website.

The other million dollar real estate deals in the Beloit-area in 2024 included:

  • In August, Green Bay-based Schreiber Foods bought the Tru Aseptics business in Beloit with the real estate part of the deal being valued at $20.4 million.
  • In January, California-based Community Preservation Partners bought Woodside Terrace, a 120-unit affordable housing complex on Beloit’s northwest side for $8 million.
  • In July, the Walgreens at 1531 S. Madison Road was sold as part of a package of stores between investment groups for $3.68 million.
  • In March, the Kensington House Apartments, 2927-2937 Kensington Lane, sold for $1.03 million.

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