News, Insights & Interviews Archive

Franklin/Indiana/Clinton County, Indiana farm near Lebanon. Photo courtesy: Geswein Farm & Land. A large farm with high-quality soil located in west-central Indiana drew a lot of interest at auction this spring, but it wasn’t just soil and size driving the price. Its position inside one of the Midwest’s growing high-tech corridors helped push the sale well above typical farmland values. The nearly 602-acre property, marketed by Geswein Farm & Land, sold March 31st for an aver

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube No doubt that some farmers are feeling serious financial pressure now. But much of the overall agricultural sector can handle this if some of that pressure is not long-lasting, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Senior Vice President Nate Kauffman believes. Kaufmann, who has worked for the Kansas City Fed for more than 14 years, is also the Center for Agriculture and the Economy Executive Director. His role demands a

Photo Courtesy: Merit Auctions. A 128-acre farm in southeast Iowa sold at auction in late March for a total of $2,095,250, or $15,674 per acre. The Louisa County property was offered in four tracts, including a 79-acre parcel of cropland and three smaller timber tracts. A fifth parcel featuring a home in nearby Henry County was also part of the auction. The farmland was the clear highlight, drawing strong competition and ultimately selling for $21,050 per acre. John Probasco,

Y Bar O Ranch in Brewster County, Texas. Image courtesy: Hall and Hall. When you think of classic American cattle ranches, Texas is often the first place that comes to mind. And this week, one of the Lone Star State’s well-known ranches changed hands for the first time in 60 years. The Y Bar O Ranch, located in the far West region of the state, was sold last week by the family of original owners, W.B. “Dub” Yarborough and his wife, Kay. The 29,071-acre property was listed at

Listen and subscribe to our weekly podcast on Spotify | Apple Podcasts The challenges facing rural America aren’t hard to find. Walk into any grocery store, talk to a cattle producer, or drive through a small town that’s lost a major employer, and the pressure points become obvious. But according to Small Business Administration Regional Director Brad Zaun, there’s a coordinated effort underway to change that trajectory—starting with access to capital and a renewed focus on c

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has pushed people to think about perspective as they look at Chapter 12 bankruptcies that increased for farmers by 46% year-to-year. "A quick note on that bankruptcy number,” Rollins told Fox Business . “Any time you hear that number, anyone should panic.” Rollins doesn’t want producers to focus on the percentage increase. “Honestly, it went from 30 farms, I think, to 60 or 70 farms. So, the percentage looks tough, but out of over

New loan opportunities are available for landowners and the food supply chain through a source that farmers don’t typically consider. And they include borrowing limits more than double USDA options. In Marc h, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the “Grocery Guarantee,” aimed at reducing grocery costs by expanding access for its SBA International Trade Loan (ITL) Program. On May 1st, the agency said at least 22 new categories of farm and agribusinesses in the

The years-long increase in farmland values may finally fall victim to financial pressure’s gravity after previously showing remarkable resilience despite inflation, supply chain strains, input cost increases, and declining farmer incomes. That is the feeling from Curt Covington, Senior Director of Institution Credit at AgAmerica Lending.

Jackson Creek Ranch. Photo courtesy: Fay Ranches. An 800-acre cattle ranch in southern Oregon sold in February for $5,000,000. Pictures of the high-elevation ground look like something you would see on a postcard. With the Cascade Mountains in the background, rolling terrain, and abundant wildlife, the beauty of the land makes it seem less like a working ranch and more like a place you would go on vacation to get away from it all. But Jackson Creek Ranch is a busy place for t

The decision by the Trump administration to attack Iran in retaliation for that country’s previous and potential future attacks on Americans continues to raise costs for producers, especially fertilizer. The economic hardship caused nearly two dozen U.S. agricultural organizations to already reach out to the U.S. Department of Commerce to ask for reductions in tariffs that have further increased fertilizer costs. Here is how much more expensive it has become for America’s far

$22,100 per acre 52.31 taxable acres in Hancock County, Illinois March 12, 2026 PI: 138.5 A Class A Hancock County, Illinois farm sold at auction on March 12, 2026, bringing $22,100 per acre and a total price of $1,156,051. Located in Rock Creek Township, about 3.5 miles northwest of Ferris, the tract included 51.97 FSA cropland acres and carried a strong 138.5 Productivity Index. The farm features Virden, Ipava, Shiloh, and Muscatune soils and was noted as being pattern tile

A northern Kentucky community has overcome the Great Depression a century ago and a poverty rate nearly twice the national average. Residents have been tested again and again. But few of Mason County’s 17,000 residents in Mayfield demonstrated their commitment to the community, their traditions, and their land more than Ida Huddleston and her daughter Delsia Bare. Because of that commitment, the mother and daughter may be the most famous residents since legendary singer and a

When a farm with strong soil and a reliable irrigation system recently sold at auction in southwest Nebraska, the final price surprised even the broker handling the sale. “We were pulling comparables anywhere from $6,500 to $8,000 an acre,” said Scott Dean of Farmers National Company. “We ended up blowing past that.” The 322.73-acre property in Keith County outside Ogallala sold for $10,100 an acre, totaling $3,259,573. The farm was offered in two tracts but ultimately purcha

Rising fertilizer prices are emerging as one of the most immediate agricultural consequences of the escalating U.S. and Israel war with Iran, creating uncertainty for farmers preparing for the spring planting season. Analysts warn that the conflict’s disruption of global fertilizer supplies could affect crop decisions, farm profitability, and ultimately food prices for consumers. It is one more political dynamic that farmers will watch as they are already waiting to see if Pr

American farmers are growing larger crops on fewer farms. While that long-term trend is clear nationwide, the factors driving farm losses vary widely by state. And there are still a couple years until the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases its next Census of Agriculture. Danny Munch, an American Farm Bureau economist, said this shows a couple trending factors. “The long-term decline in farm numbers alongside a decline in farmland shows consolidation, productivity gains,

Listen and subscribe on Spotify | Apple Podcasts The farmland may be paid off and generating income. But looming capital gains taxes can make a straight sale financially painful. Or maybe an heir isn’t so sure that owning a farm is really what he wants to do in the years ahead. That is where a 721 exchange could be an option. “We're one of the few firms that have ever done it or tried it in the farmland space,” said Ethan Branscum, Director of Investments at Sower Farmland, w

159.92+/- acres in Taney County, Missouri 16 tracts – Sold Absolute February 11, 2026 A diverse multi-tract development offering totaling 159.92± acres sold at live and online auction on February 11, 2026. The property was divided into 16 individual tracts strategically located in high-traffic areas of Branson, less than one mile from the Highway 76 strip. The tracts ranged from small commercial and residential lots under one acre to larger development parcels exceeding 40 ac

Photo Courtesy of Farmers National A 430-acre farm, located about 15 miles northeast of Springfield, Illinois, sold in a private transaction on January 29th for $7,224,672. While the $16,800 per-acre figure was considered strong for the area, the agent who handled the sale says the defining factor behind the competitive price was not just yield history or infrastructure — it was contiguity. “All 430 acres are in one contiguous tract,” said Max Hendrickson of Farmers National

Agricultural land values in the Midwest increased in 2025, reversing a modest decline the previous year, according to the latest from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s AgLetter. The quarterly publication, written by economists with the Chicago Fed, analyzes agricultural land values and credit conditions across the bank’s Seventh District, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The findings are based on responses from agricultural bankers who co

Listen on Spotify | Apple Podcasts Farms are getting bigger, and there are fewer farms each year. Those changes have taken place over a number of years. But Dennis Reyman, Partner at Stalcup Agricultural Services in Storm Lake, Iowa, said one factor remains constant in a constantly changing agricultural industry: farmers are still doing most of the farm buying. “…as far as land ownership, the trends are kind of the same as they usually are,” Reyman told American Farmland Ow