News, Insights & Interviews Archive

Sharon Krause believes that the future of agriculture is close to home. “From an environmental perspective, the more food that we can grow closer to home, the more we reduce our costs between transportation and storage,” Krause told American Farmland Owner.

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcast For many farm owners today, the question isn’t whether change is coming; it’s how to respond to it without jeopardizing everything they have built. Commodity markets remain volatile, input costs stay stubbornly high, and consolidation continues to squeeze margins. Virginia farmer, author, and outspoken agricultural thinker Joel Salatin offers a significantly different perspective for thinking about growth, resilience, and transition. Joel S

Johnny Klemme of Geswein Farm & Land reflects on disciplined farmland buyers in 2025 and shares his outlook for how market forces could shape sales in the year ahead. Klemme is co-owner of Geswein Farm & Land in Lafayette, Indiana. He has more than 20 years of business experience and has handled hundreds of millions of dollars in land transactions across Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. He spoke with American Farmland Owner about trends he’s witnessed and factors that could

American farmer’s counterparts “across the pond” face challenges in 2026. Farm profitability in England has been tested by extreme weather, volatile commodity markets, subsidy reforms, and structural challenges in profitability that have left many producers and policymakers grappling with the future of farming economics in the U.K. A Financial Times analysis reported that food production has become unprofitable for a significant portion of English farms. The article noted tha

A new year has delivered a new food pyramid from the Trump administration, and we will see how it impacts what Americans buy from farmers. On January 7th, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled an updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030. It was complete with a redesigned food pyramid that departs sharply from models of the past. This policy shift, centered on a message to “eat real food,” could have significant impl

For much of the last decade, the national conversation about the U.S. economy has revolved around inflation, interest rates, and inequality. But according to veteran economist Ed “Dr. Ed” Yardeni, one of the most powerful forces shaping the current and future economy is far less discussed: America’s aging population. Yardeni -- noted national analyst on CNBC, Bloomberg Television, Fox Business, the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere -- is the President of Yardeni Research and

Norma J. Loos Estate Land Auction 125.93 m/l acres in Adams County, IL December 1, 2025 PI Range: 125.3-132 A total of approximately 126 acres sold at public auction in two tracts in Adams County. Tract 1 sold for $16,300 per acre, reflecting its higher percentage of productive cropland and overall quality. Tract 2, which contained a greater proportion of timber and recreational land, sold for $6,100 per acre. The combined purchase price for both tracts totaled $1,488,905. $3

MAHA, Make America Healthy Again, will influence America’s food system in 2026, although it may be too early to know how deeply. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy, Junior, has made a host of claims about ultra-processed foods, synthetic dyes, and pesticides and discussed thematic changes to better promote good health in Americans, especially children. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February 2025 that created the MAHA Commission. I

American Farmland Owner writes about some of the farmland and ranch sales that happen all over the country. From 500,000-acre cattle ranches to much smaller family farms entering the market for the first time in 150 years, we are often intrigued by the stories behind the land as it changes hands. Here are three of them we chose to highlight from the past year, including some of the features that make them unique: Great Western Ranch. Photo courtesy: Hall and Hall. One of

The holidays bring heightened attention to mental health and stress. Mental health struggles in rural communities, particularly among farmers and ranchers, have long been hidden behind a culture of toughness and self-reliance. Washington State Representative Tom Dent, Republican from Moses Lake, has worked to increase awareness and resources for his fellow rural ranchers and farmers and get more people to understand that growing pressures facing agriculture makes addressing m

If 2025 was supposed to be the year farmland values either took a sharp turn up or down, the data delivered a different story: most land markets largely held their ground. After several years of rapid appreciation fueled by strong commodity prices, low interest rates, and limited supply, farmland values across the Midwest entered a period of what many experts call an “adjustment”. 2025 became a year defined by stabilization, uneven performance, and a growing divide between h

As farmers wait to find out how much a new federal bridge payment could replace some of the income that they have lost from higher costs, lower market prices, and international trade complexities, they are assessing their finances for 2026. Jerry Gulke is president of the Gulke Group, an Illinois-based research and information analysis firm that provides marketing strategies for agribusinesses. Gulke has also farmed corn and soybeans for the past 40 years, but he isn’t sure t

For generations, U.S. farmers have competed in global markets on the strength of productivity, innovation, and trust. But today, Brazil seems to be a more difficult challenger. USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden laid out a blunt assessment of how Brazilian agricultural practices are reshaping global commodity markets and why American farmers are feeling the squeeze. “Brazil is the reason for so many of our commodity crops that they are in the position that they are in with d

By any measure, the United States is standing on the edge of an unprecedented economic shift. Trillions of dollars are moving from one generation to the next, reshaping investment decisions, markets, and, potentially, the future of rural America. Ronald Diamond, Diamond Wealth Founder and Chairman, told American Farmland Owner from his office in Northbrook, Illinois, that he believes an historic wealth transfer is underway from the Baby Boomer generation, and it will impact a

A large, family-owned farmland portfolio spanning southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle exceeded expectations at a November multi-parcel auction, drawing strong interest from both local producers and out-of-state buyers. The sale included 5,043 acres of irrigated cropland, dryland, grass, and CRP ground located within a 30-mile radius across Seward and Stevens Counties, Kansas, and Beaver County, Oklahoma. Marketed jointly by Peoples Company and The Lund Company, the au

Opposition may have succeeded in stopping a wind farm project in Iowa and delaying unrelated data center proposals in Indiana. MidAmerican Energy, a subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy, has worked over the past four years to develop the wind farm in northwest Iowa. Wind is already a significant commitment from the company, which provides service in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Illinois. MidAmerican has turbines in roughly one third of Iowa’s counties

Farmers who failed to accurately report their 2025 acreage reporting by 5 p.m. Friday, December 19, could miss out on their share of the $12 billion USDA Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. The program provides emergency help for farmers struggling with repercussions from President Donald Trump’s higher tariffs on imports, low commodity prices, and higher costs. Acreage reporting will help the USDA determine individual assistance for farmers. USDA Farmer Bridge Assistance Prog

A sweeping reorganization that brings a substantial reduction in personnel and shift in geographical footprint is underway at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one that could reshape the direction of the agency.

If you’ve been waiting for a big drop or even an increase in Iowa farmland values this year, you won’t find it in the newest Iowa State University Land Value Survey . The survey offers a simple answer: not much changed, at least according to the overall numbers. The 2025 report shows that the average value of Iowa farmland inched up just 0.7%, or $83 per acre, bringing the statewide average to $11,549 per acre. That’s still $286 below the 2023 peak, when values reached a re

As 2025 draws to a close, Australian farmland finds itself in transition. After more than a decade of rising values, the market appears to be leveling off, consistent with patterns seen throughout the year. Landholders face economic headwinds, emerging opportunities in niche and Indigenous-led agriculture, and fresh debates over land use—particularly between food production and renewable energy development. Recent figures from Bendigo Bank Agribusiness’ 2025 farmland values

American farmers don’t yet know how much of the $12 billion aid package – “bridge payments,” the Trump administration calls them – that they will receive. But they may at least get some piece of mind that some assistance could come early next year as they have dealt with a bevy of financial pressures from higher tariffs and inflated borrowing, input, and equipment costs It may or may not cover the losses that they endured for lost or reduced overseas buyers. On Tuesday, the T