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Farmland Prices On The Rise Farmland Prices On The Rise Originally Appeared On : "inforum.com" January 7, 2013 Rising farmland prices around the state of Minnesota over the past 20 years have left many farmers wondering if and when the farmland bubble may burst. Farmland prices have been rising steadily since 1990, peaking at a state average of over $3,500 per acre in 2010, said Steve Taff, economist with University of Minnesota Extension. Since 1992, Taff has conducted an annual farmland appraisal in coordination with the 100-year study organized by the University of Minnesota. “There are two ‘drivers’ for high land prices,” Taff said, “high corn prices and low interest rates.” If crop prices, especially corn, remain high and interest rates on treasury bills remain low, Taff forsees the potential for land prices to continue to appreciate. As a result of these two factors, buying high-priced land may be attractive to many people. People may view high corn prices as an incentive because of the potential for increased revenue, while low interest rates make it much easier for producers to get loans and make the payments. “No one knows – that’s the short answer as to whether these record farmland prices will soon drop,” Taff said. “One main issue associated with high prices is that fewer farmers possess the capital necessary to be willing to bid on land,” he said. This has caused existing member participation in many rural communities to be lower, and makes it difficult for new farm membership to be established. “It’s very hard for young people to get started. Many banks won’t finance new, young adult farmers,” Taff said. Taff noted that in the past three years these factors have contributed to only about one-half as much farmland sold compared to the preceding years . As a result of high prices, only 1 percent of Minnesota’s farmland is sold in a given year, leading to 50 percent of the farmland being leased. With prices expected to continue to rise, Taff cautioned prospective land buyers to be careful and take necessary precautions. “Consider your financial situation, get some good advice from creditors, and think of your family. I worry that there are a few farmers out there on the verge of getting overextended when looking to finance their farm.”
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Buying and selling of agricultural land can be very complex. To help you tackle the issues surrounding agricultural land transactions, Farms.com Real Estate has compiled a list of experts in the areas of agricultural economics and land values.

University of Illinois

Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, Extension Specialist, Farm Management
Gary Schnitkey
schnitke@uiuc.edu

Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, Extension Specialist, Farm Management
Dale Lattz
d-lattz@uiuc.edu

Iowa State University

Michael Duffy
mduffy@iastate.edu
http://www.econ.iastate.edu/faculty/duffy/landnew.html

Kansas State University

Kevin Dhuyvetter
Professor and Extension Specialist, Farm Management
kcd@ksu.edu

Terry Kastens
Professor and Extension Specialist, Farm Management
tkastens@agecon.ksu.edu

Michigan State University

Stephen Harsh
Professor and Extension Specialist in Agricultural Economics
harsh@msu.edu

Eric Wittenberg
Outreach Specialist
wittenbe@msu.edu

University of Minnesota

Philip Raup
Professor Emeritus
praup@umn.edu

David Bau
Agricultural Business Management, Agricultural Business Management
bauxx003@umn.edu


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