News, Insights & Interviews Archive

For farmers and ranchers, deciding to sell a piece of land is much more than a business decision, especially if the land has been in the family for generations. This isn’t just selling a piece of property.

Carroll County, Iowa, farm that sold in July for $16,900 per acre. Photo courtesy: Adam Pick, Farmers National Company. An 80-acre tract of farmland in Carroll County, Iowa, sold in mid-July for a price that topped many recent comparable sales in the area. The 79.2-acre farm brought $16,900 per acre, or $1,338,480 total, during a live auction on July 14. Adam Pick of Farmers National Company said the property, located just outside Glidden, had several factors working in its f

The struggles of American farmers and ranchers could get some assistance in the form of a delay in paying some of their bills. The USDA announced that farmers can have an additional 60 days to pay crop insurance premiums, administrative fees, and amounts due under written payment agreements that establish the required terms for repaying delinquent debts or setting up installment plans. Supplementary Payment Agreement for Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans or Rural Housing Servic

Every land sale tells a story. Sometimes it’s a stocked lake that took years to build. Sometimes it’s world-class soils, a rare large tract, or a location where land rarely comes up for sale. American Farmland Owner examined four notable land sales from 2026 and highlighted what made each property unique and what the final sale price says about land values in today’s agricultural economy. While these four farms are different in many ways, they shared an important characterist

When Terrain Ag Agricultural Economist Matt Erickson examined more than three decades of farmland returns in a comprehensive study, one group of states stood out. While Illinois, Indiana, and much of the Eastern Corn Belt generated much of their wealth through steady land appreciation, states like South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska followed a different path. Their strength wasn't simply rising land values; it was their ability to generate income. So, what makes those states d

Farm in Edwards County, Illinois. Photo courtesy of Kurtz Auction & Realty. A 1,277-acre farm in southeastern Illinois sold for nearly $10.5 million during a July 9 auction after being divided into 22 tracts. The property, located near West Salem and Albion, brought a total of $10,500,000 averaging $8,222 per acre. The auction was managed by Jason Blue of Kurtz Auction & Realty, who said it was the largest property he has handled this year. Despite the size of the sale, and t

It’s been a tough few years for farmers facing high input costs, low crop prices, and weaker farm income. Whenever the ag economy is in a prolonged downturn, it’s common to find someone asking if this is another 1980s farm crisis. At the Iowa Farm Bureau 2026 Economic Forum in Des Moines, economists said today’s pressures are real, but the situation is not the same as the ‘80s. “We are in the third year of a multi-year downturn,” said Dr. Christopher Pudenz, economist with th

Juneau County, WI Major 804-Acre Portfolio Brings $6.64 Million at Auction A large multi-tract auction in Juneau County, Wisconsin sold in July, with 799.66 acres m/l selling for $6,639,601, or an average of $8,303 per acre. The offering was highlighted by several quality cropland tracts, including Tracts 1, 2, and 3, which each sold for $8,700 per acre, while the 123.14-acre Tract 4 brought $9,000 per acre. The highest per-acre result came from the 11.66-acre Tract 10 at $13

A downward economic trend has continued for another month for Creighton University’s “Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI),” according to its latest survey of rural bank CEOS in a 10-state region. RMI surveys leaders in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The index measures approximately 200 rural communities with an average population of 1,300. Input costs rise for farmers “The farmers out there and ranchers are

Farmers in a key agricultural state saw their incomes plummet over a three-year period, according to a newly released study. What Iowa farmers have faced is illustrative of what some of their counterparts in other states have experienced since the post-COVID boom earlier this decade. The headline number was 53%. That was the amount of net income that fell for farmers between 2022 and 2024, according to the study released by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa State Universi

Image Courtesy: Whitetail Properties Real Estate A nearly $1.5 million recreational property in northeast Missouri sold in just a few weeks this spring, offering another sign that demand for quality hunting and recreational land remains strong across the state. The 122.6-acre property in Pike County, near Bowling Green, checked many of the boxes today's recreational buyers are looking for: excellent hunting ground, tillable acreage, and a trail system that makes it easy to ge

Commodity prices, interest rates, weather, tariffs, artificial intelligence, ethanol, or the next “must have” piece of machinery.

The National Corn Growers Association has released a new report saying U.S. farmers are paying significantly more for crop inputs than Brazilian farmers, one of their biggest competitors in the global marketplace. In some cases, the report showed that U.S. farmers are paying nearly twice as much as their Brazilian counterparts. NCGA posted the report and reactions from its leaders on Wednesday. "I think there has long been a belief among U.S. farmers that we pay more for the

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released updated information on farmland ownership in the United States and how much of that land is rented to others. The 2024 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) Survey is part of the Census of Agriculture program and is designed to provide a clearer picture of farmland ownership and management across the country. One of the report's key findings is that farmland ownership remains concentrated among older, no

It’s not often that a 34,000-acre farm hits the market. Even rarer is finding one that consists of a single, massive, contiguous landholding. That’s exactly what’s happening in central South Dakota, just outside the state capital of Pierre. Gunsmoke Ranch contiguous acres Gunsmoke Ranch, a sprawling dryland organic farming operation, is being offered through a sealed-bid process that runs through July 30th. According to Peoples Company President Steve Bruere, who is managing

$18,100 per acre 146.27+/- acres in Poweshiek County, IA June 16, 2026 A high-quality Poweshiek County farm sold for $18,100 per acre at an online-only auction on June 16. Located three miles south of Grinnell, adjacent to Interstate 80, the 146.27+/- acre farm featured 139.98 FSA cropland acres with a CSR2 of 87.6. The farm consists primarily of Garwin, Tama, Killduff, and Muscatine soils and has a strong history of seed corn production. Its quality soils, productive history

A change in leadership at the Federal Reserve did not lead to the immediate change that President Donald Trump has demanded for months: lower borrowing rates. In fact, the opposite could be happening later this year if the Fed decides to raise rates following implementation of policies since Trump returned to office which included launching a global trade war and military strikes against Iran. Those actions are among the forces that have pushed up inflation higher than when P

For almond growers, the last several years have been defined by difficult choices, tight margins, and a lot of uncertainty. But according to Carl Evers III, President of AgIS Capital Property Management and Director of Sustainability, the industry may finally be finding some balance.

Figure 1. Average Cash Rental Rates in Iowa, $/acre, nominal. Source: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Cash Rental Rates for Iowa Survey Iowa farmland resisted broader agricultural volatility with cash rental rates in 2026 according to a new report. This supports parts of the farm economy, but it presents challenges to others. According to the Cash Rental Rates for Iowa survey, trends stayed flat across the state at $270 per crop acre. The report focused on one st

American farmers and ranchers will hope something good comes out of the latest conversations between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping of China. U.S. agricultural exports to China cratered following President Trump’s higher tariffs. But U.S. producers want access to China’s 1.4 billion consumers, who represent approximately one in six people worldwide. That is a lot of potential mouths to feed and an enticing market for American goods at a time of surplus produc