News, Insights & Interviews Archive

Farmland markets, like most things in life, go through changes. And according to one land agent who works primarily in central Iowa, one of the biggest shifts he's seeing has less to do with land values and more to do with financing.

Farmland owners with a long-term view expect to realize increased worth in their property, and values continue to climb in much of the country. Those are the headlines from a report in the High Plains Journal.

Three of the four states in the Seventh Federal Reserve District saw agricultural land values increase year-over-year in the third quarter of 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s latest “AgLetter.”

Crude oil prices took a 10-15% dip this week following the midterm elections. Perhaps, some of the fall was due to Vice President J.D. Vance blaming the war with Iran for Republicans’ huge losses in congressional races.

Nebraska’s strong cattle industry depends on quality grazing ground, reliable water, and productive hay meadows. A recent ranch auction in Holt County, on the eastern edge of the state’s Sandhills region, brought more than $4.1 million for a property offering all three.

Four recent Midwest farmland auctions in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Wisconsin brought $11,100 to $19,750 per acre, led by 331 acres in Cherokee County, Iowa that sold for about $6.4 million.

U.S. farm sector debt is expected to reach a record $605.1 billion in 2026, according to the latest USDA forecast. That represents a 4.5% increase in nominal dollars from 2025 and a 1.5% increase after adjusting for inflation.

As farmers are busy in harvest season and voters prepare for November’s election, they see another number that makes their lives more expensive: 3.7%. The Consumer Price Index data released on October 15th showed that energy prices continued to fuel higher prices across the U.S. economy.

There has been no shortage of headlines about the struggles facing American farmers in recent years. Lower commodity prices, rising input costs, and U.S. trade tensions are just a few of the factors making it difficult for producers to turn a profit.

Foreign ownership of American farmland has become a political flashpoint. If you live in a competitive political district, you may have seen commercials about ownership by a foreign entity – most likely China – trying to buy a farm or ranch in your state.

Sometimes, a traditional approach won't work when it's time to sell the land, especially for a truly unique piece of property. Of course, every property is unique. But it's fair to say that some properties are especially unique, right?

Some communities are putting a temporary stop on data center development, in some cases to protect land from transitioning from agriculture to feeding the country's need for additional digital storage. Other communities are seeing their land prices soar as data center development projects push land values far beyond what buyers would pay for agricultural purposes.

State and federal executive orders designed to save some of the additional money farmers and landowners have been paying for fuel costs come with a reminder: you might owe later on this temporary price reduction.

If you ask Lindsey Feuerborn what she does for a living, she’ll tell you she sells Nebraska farmland. But spend a few minutes talking with the Lashley Land and Recreational Brokers agent, and it’s clear there’s more to her work than selling land.

Knowing your neighbors helps, but knowing your neighbors’ data may help even more. Today, some of the most important forces affecting land values may have little to do with farming.

A two-state, 1,477.5-acre farm sale just closed for $22.45 million, and it wasn't luck. Geswein Farm & Land Realty's Johnny Klemme explains how branding an Illinois-Indiana portfolio as one regional event, pairing a hybrid live/online auction, and spotlighting decades of tenant stewardship drove nearly 800 bids and turned a multi-generational family farm into the sale everyone was watching.

Illinois farmland just hit $25,700 an acre. In Douglas County, all three tracts of the 114.77-acre Winslow Farm sold at that identical price via a Choice & Privilege auction, while a 172.48-acre Jones County, Iowa trust farm with a 93.1 CSR2 rating and a 325.78-acre, five-tract Minnesota sale rounded out a strong week for Midwest land values.

Growing risk may be outweighing previous abuse, Dustin Carlson, President of SRA 831(b) Admin, believes as people weigh potential benefits of micro-captive insurance plans for small and mid-sized businesses.

The American economy is feeling the weight. None of these things were what supporters had in mind when President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2027 with Republican majorities in the U.S. House and Senate.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest data show Illinois farmland cash rental rates have declined for the second year in a row.