While it may be the middle of December, the Southwestern Michigan College Foundation enjoyed quite the harvest Tuesday night.

The college’s charitable organization auctioned off the farming rights to 210-acres of farmland left in their care by the late Edward Guse, during a special event held at the college’s Dowagiac campus. The winning bid came from Eau Claire’s Mike Piedt, who will now have the right to use the property for the next three years.

Piedt was one among more than 50 people in attendance during the auction, which was conducted by Hahn Auctioneers Inc. The proceeds of the sale will go toward funding between two to three dozen student scholarships for next year, said SMC President David Mathews.

“Everyone at the school is excited about the possibility to have several dozen more students who will just be able to concentrate on their studies, and not have to worry about how they will pay for them,” he said.

The Wilbur Hill Road property was promised to the organization for years following its former owner’s death in 2002, though several other tenets were allowed to use the property in the following years. The ownership finally turned over to foundation following the settlement of a legal dispute between the organization and the property’s previous tenet in the summer.

“It was the Guse’s intent for any revenue, from the lease or sale of the property, to generate scholarships for local students,” said Eileen Toney, the executive director of the SMC Foundation. “We have fulfilled his wish that more individuals in the community will be able attend college.”

The foundation awards scholarships to SMC students every fall and spring semesters, which are used to help pay for tuition, books and other costs associated with attending classes. Last year, more than 340 scholarships, totaling more than $209,000, were given to students.

With the foundation retaining ownership of the property, Toney hopes that the property will continue to grow in value and be able to generate even more scholarship funding down the road.

The foundation expressed their gratitude to the farmers who attended Tuesday’s auction, and for their support of the area’s students.

“Yes, it will help their businesses, but they also understood that this money is going be used for something really good,” Mathews said. “We thank everyone who participated in this event.”