The equipment sale draws farmers from all over the Northeast and Canada.

SWANTON, Vt. (AP) – With milk prices rising after years of record lows, dairy farmers might be feeling more confident.

A farm equipment auction Saturday in Swanton drew a record crowd.

The Fournier Farm Equipment spring auction has been held for nearly 40 years. It has grown from just a few pieces of farm machinery to include acres of gear. It draws farmers from all over the Northeast and Canada.

“Every year it just gets bigger and bigger,” auction founder Rene Fournier said Saturday. “This sale is the largest we’ve ever had.”

Fournier founded Fournier Farm Equipment Co. just after World War II in a dairy barn. He started the auction in 1966 as a service to area farmers. There’s also a fall auction, held the last week in August.

Fournier’s large family, including his son, auctioneer Rene Fournier, helps out. On Saturday, an estimated 3,000 people showed up. Registered buyers competed for items worth just a few dollars and items worth tens of thousands of dollars.

“One man’s junk is another man’s fortune…” Fournier said. “But there’s a buyer for every item. It’s unbelievable.”

Some of the equipment dated from the 19th century – such as an ancient grain barrel held together by wooden hoops. Jimmy Walker of Deerfield, N.H., bought a horse-drawn disc harrow for $200.

“I’ve come to this auction for almost twenty years now, and enjoy it every time,” said Walker, who uses draft horses instead of a tractor.

The Fournier auction is one of the area’s larger events. Yankee Magazine listed it as one of the top five things to do in Vermont.

“It’s quite an honor and satisfaction and I guess the good old USA is the only place in the world we can go to get to that place in life,” said Fournier. “And let’s hope we can preserve this.”

AP-ES-04-25-04 1029EDT