farmland values

A note from Chuck

Half a century ago, in 1973, I entered the news business as a reporter for a small weekly paper in Missouri. And now, it’s time to leave the party. I will continue my reporting here at Ag Insider through the end of the current Congressional session, at which time Ag Insider will be put to bed one last time. The final edition will go out Monday, December 23.

Farm income declines in northern Plains, say ag bankers

The two-year decline in commodity prices drove down farm income in the northern Plains this summer, ag bankers said overwhelmingly in a survey by the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, and they expect income to fall again this winter. Farmers have cut back on major purchases and loan demand is up, the bankers said.

Land values rise while farm income shrinks in northern Plains

Continuing a four-year trend, land values rose during the growing season in the northern Plains, despite financial tightening in the farm sector, said ag bankers in a quarterly survey by the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank.

Farmer confidence falls along with commodity prices

More than half of American farmers say their farming operations are worse off financially now than a year ago, according to a Purdue University poll released on Tuesday, which also found increasing concern about low market prices for crops and livestock. "The weakness in farmer sentiment could indicate that farmers expect this year's farm income downturn to last for an extended period," said the Ag Economy Barometer.

Solar premium for farmland is 1.4 percent per mile, says analysis

A comparison of farmland sales in Indiana indicates that land rises in value by 1.4 percent for each mile it is closer to a commercial-scale solar energy facility, said a graduate research assistant at Purdue University. The analysis gave weight to a rising belief that energy production was becoming a factor in land prices.

Farm income is down in Plains, say ag bankers

More than six of every 10 ag bankers in a Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank survey said that farm income was lower than a year ago and demand for loans was up. “Strong cattle prices have supported profit margins in the cattle sector, but prices for crops have declined faster than production expenses,” said the regional Fed on Tuesday.

Lower crop returns will pressure farmland market, say analysts

The boom in corn and soybean prices since 2020 is fading away, with lower farm income likely in the near term, wrote three agricultural economists in the farmdoc daily blog. “Returns to farming have declined, suggesting that cash rents should decline as well. How quickly or how much cash rents decline will depend on how far commodity prices fall as well as potential policy responses to those declines,” they said.

Farmland values plateau with occasional declines

High interest rates and lower commodity prices are front-of-mind factors for farmland buyers, said Farmers National Co., a large farm management and real estate company. "Despite these negative pressures, the land market has remained relatively resilient but shows signs of settling in general, including single-digit decreases in specific areas," said Paul Schadegg, senior vice president.

Solar, other energy production emerging as pillar for farmland values, says Purdue

Farmers are beginning to regard energy production on their land, such as solar, wind, and carbon capture usage, as a factor in driving land values upward, said a Purdue University survey on Tuesday. The survey also found more farmers are exploring leases for solar production, and that lease rates are going higher and higher.

Interest rates rise faster than farmland values, says economist

For the first time since 2001, interest rates are rising faster than farmland values, creating a potential obstacle to land purchasers, said assistant economist Ty Kreitman of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. “With interest costs now above average land value appreciation, farm operating profits will determine the magnitude of returns for financed land,” he said.

As inflation falls, ‘backwards pressure’ on food prices, analyst says

Compared to food price inflation of 11 percent in 2022, grocery price increases will be virtually nonexistent this year, said a Wells Fargo analyst Wednesday during a panel discussion on the 2024 outlook for the food and ag sector. A Rabobank analyst said that softer commodity prices would take the steam out of the hot farmland market.

Some signs of softening farmland values, says Fed economist

Although farmland values are strong, some ag bankers report a downturn in prices in the central Plains after a three-year run-up in values, said senior economist Cortney Cowley of the Kansas City Federal Reserve on Wednesday. The majority of bankers, however, expect farmland values to hold steady or increase moderately.

Cropland values soar 33 percent in three years

After years of stagnation, cropland values rose an average of $1,300 an acre in the three years since the pandemic hit the United States, according to the Agriculture Department. Values mushroomed 33 percent at the same time farmers enjoyed back to back years of record-high farm income, with income forecast to be the third-highest this year.

Farmers face sharply higher interest rates on loans

The financial outlook for many farmers is favorable, thanks to high commodity prices, but higher interest rates are an ongoing concern, according to ag bankers surveyed by the Federal Reserve. Interest rates on loans to farmers were 3.5 to 4.5 percentage points higher in the opening months of this year than they were at the end of 2021.

Iowa farmland values skyrocket, again

High commodity prices and low interest rates helped drive farmland values in Iowa to an average of $11,411 an acre, up 17 percent from 2021, when they rose 29 percent, said Iowa State University’s annual Land Value Survey.

As farmland values soar, so do fears of a price bubble

Flush with cash, farmers and investors have driven up farmland values this year at breathtaking rates — a 12 percent gain nationwide and more than 20 percent in three Farm Belt states. “Given recent experiences with fluctuations in the broader economy and prior farmland price dynamics, many market participants express concern that the rapid increase in farmland prices is a signal of a speculative bubble,” said three economists.

Farmland values rise alongside strong ag economy

Persistently strong commodity prices in the opening months of the year fueled a sharp growth in farmland values throughout the Midwest and Plains, said a Federal Reserve report on Thursday.

Biggest rise in Midwest land values in over a decade

Agricultural bankers reported a 22 percent increase in farmland values in the central Corn Belt during 2021, and they expect values to continue to rise in the opening months of this year, said the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank on Thursday.

Iowa farmland value zoomed by 29 percent this year

Farmland in Iowa is worth an average $9,751 an acre – the highest value since Iowa State University began the annual survey in 1941. Values skyrocketed by 29 percent this year, fueled by high commodity prices, better than expected crop yields and large pandemic relief payments, said associate professor Wendong Zhang.

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