A Bubble in the Farmland Market?

One of the more common questions we have received over the last few years has been, “When is the farmland market bubble going to burst?”.  Potential sellers wanted to know if they needed to sell before losing value and investors wanted to know if they should stay on the sidelines in anticipation of prices drastically…

Read More…

Do Government Programs Affect Farm Prices?

We often discuss the variables that play a role in farm prices, particularly grain prices and interest rates.  However, there are many other factors that help shape the market as well and one of those is government programs.  A recent article published on the University of Illinois Farm Doc Daily website highlights the impact of direct…

Read More…

Farmland Values Remain Steady… For Now

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago just released their 2015 First Quarter Agricultural Newsletter, and their survey of agricultural bankers during this time period showed little change in the average price of good farmland across the six state region. Surprisingly, especially considering the current prices of corn and soybeans, over half of these lenders believed…

Read More…

2015 Farmland Returns

Forecasted profits for 2015 continue to look bleak for farmers and they will more than likely see the lowest returns of the last 5 years.  A new article posted by Gary Schnitkey on the University of Illinois’ Farm Doc Daily (Farmland Returns in 2015) analyzes the hard numbers and where the financial outlook may end…

Read More…

The Revised Agricultural Conservation Compliance Regulations

As part of the 1985 Farm Bill, the Congress implemented rules for farmers and landowners to follow if they wished to be receive government farm program payments in the future. These regulations focused on areas that were considered the most environmentally fragile – wetlands and highly erodible soils. Not all farmers were happy with these…

Read More…

2015 Corn Revenue Expected to Decline For Another Year

For anyone associated with agriculture, it’s probably no surprise that many analysts are predicting another tight year for farmers.  The price for corn has been cut in half from the high prices that were available in 2012/2013 (Close to $8/bushel down to less than $4 currently).  This isn’t a new revelation, farmers dealt with falling…

Read More…

Mixed Signals in the Midwestern Farmland Market?

To the casual follower of farmland price trends, reading recent articles about land values might seem confusing. One press release from Iowa, discussed the results of a state Realtors Land Institute survey that reflected an 11% price decrease from 2014 (click here for IA report). A similar survey in Illinois showed that values there were only down…

Read More…