Farm Auction Meme Shows Photo From England, Not Nebraska
The Claim
Over 200 farmers stood in silence at an auction so a son could buy his family’s farm back from the bank.
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Emerging story
For at least the past year, social media users have been sharing a story of a man having to buy his family’s farm back from a bank at auction. According to the viral meme, hundreds of farmers stood silently, refusing to bid on the property. One account attaches a story: “David’s family had been farmers for decades.” Most instances share the statement, “Farmers stand in silence at auction so a young man can buy back his family farmhouse.”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found no evidence that the story is true. The meme appears to be taken from a blog written by the Cornwall Holiday Guide. While claims state the farm was in Nebraska, the Cornwall referred to is in England. The original blog post has been removed.
The blog post details the story of a family buying back their farm after another family member sold it off. With the intention of returning his family to their farm, the 200 farmers silently allowed “David’s” bid to be the only bid, essentially buying his family’s farm back after it was legally sold. The farm was at no time repossessed.
The meme, however, attempts to get the reader to infer the land was taken by the bank. The first appearance of the meme was on a Facebook page called In the NOW.
With the implication added that the events of the auction were to negatively impact a bank, the meme has spread since 2018. The events, if they did occur, did not occur in Nebraska, nor was the implied effort to exact revenge on a bank part of the story.
