Larry Rasmussen farm in Buchanan County, Iowa. Image courtesy: Travis Smock, Peoples Company. When a 213-acre farm in Buchanan County, Iowa, went up for auction, it seemed like a typical land sale in the northeast part of the state. But what made it extraordinary was what longtime owner Larry Rasmussen decided to do with the proceeds. Rasmussen, who passed away in 2020, had no living children. Instead, he left his farmland in a trust to be sold, with all profits going to five

The wine sector—long considered a steady pillar of agricultural value—is facing a cascade of interlocking pressures: falling demand, over-supply, vineyard removal, and volatile global trade. Recent reports highlight how growers, especially in key regions such as California, are being forced into hard decisions. California’s wine-grape sector has become emblematic of the turmoil. California growers ripped out nearly 40,000 acres of vineyards -- which is approximately 7% of the

Sioux County, Iowa Two tracts were sold in Sioux County, Iowa, on October 22, 2025, when the heirs of Donald and Janet De Groot sold 120.17 acres of high-quality Lincoln Township farmland at public auction through Zomer Company. The property was offered in two tracts, with Tract 1 (80.13 acres, CSR2 94.5) selling for $26,500 per acre and Tract 2 (40.04 acres, CSR2 90.5) selling for $18,500 per acre, totaling approximately $2.86 million. Located just northeast of Hull, both fa

The Federal Reserve has continued what has recently become a slow step down in interest rates as it navigates limited federal data, rising inflation, a slower job market, and the continued tariff uncertainty. The Fed reduced its target range for the federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage points to 3.75%-4.0%. This is the second reduction by this rate this year and is less than what President Donald Trump has pressured the independent body to do. The partial federal government

Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Cattle, corn, and soybeans filled Liz Strom’s life as she grew up on the family farm in central Illinois. She still goes back to the farm when her schedule allows. But these days she is thinking about more than just her family’s farm. Strom, an accredited farm manager and Vice President at Murray Wise Associates in Champaign, Illinois, is watching farmland values. She saw them rise quickly but doesn’t expect them to fall with that same for

A historic New York farm could soon set a record in the Hudson Valley with a staggering $90 million listing price. Known as Mill Farm, the 2,150-acre property in Ancramdale has been assembled over 43 years by investment banker Daniel Slott and features 15 barns, 10 homes, a waterfall, and organic-certified hay fields. Surrounded by conservation land and just two hours from Manhattan, the farm is billed by Compass as a “living landmark” and one of the largest working farms nea