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Wendong Zhang
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Average Iowa farmland value has shown a decline for the third year in a row — the first time this has happened since the 1980s farm crisis — and is now estimated to be $7,183 per acre. The statewide per acre value declined $449, or 5.9 percent, since November 2015. Land values were determined by the 2016 Iowa State University Land Value Survey.
Clean Lakes, Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR), designed to combat water quality challenges in places like the Mississippi River and Great Lakes Basin, and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE), which sets aside 300,000 acres for wetland restoration and 100,000 acres for pollinator habitat across the country - are new additions to the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program.
The Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference, scheduled for May 17 at the Scheman Building, is designed for anyone who has an interest in agricultural land, land management and land valuation.
After having fallen in each of the three previous years, the average value of an acre of farmland in Iowa saw an increase in 2017. The average statewide value of an acre of farmland is now estimated to be $7,326. This represents an increase of 2.0 percent, or $143 per acre, from the 2016 estimate.
The ties between Iowa farmers and China continue to grow. Currently, one in every four rows of soybean grown in the United States is exported to China while Iowa’s former governor, Terry Branstad, is now the U.S. ambassador to the country. This growing partnership is the focus of a recent Ag Decision Maker article authored by Wendong Zhang, assistant professor and extension economist, and Minghao Li, postdoctoral researcher in Iowa State’s CARD.
Trade issues between the United States and China have already impacted pork exports from Iowa and there is concern that an escalation of tariffs between the countries could affect soybean exports as well. These potential concerns for Iowa farmers, and more, are examined in a new policy brief from Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Development.
The full results of the 2017 Iowa Farmland Ownership Tenure Survey will be announced at a press conference at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 28. The press conference will take place in the Horton Room of the Alumni Center, located on the Iowa State University campus in Ames.
An Iowa State University study shows that the age of Iowa’s farmland owners continues to rise, with a record high 35 percent aged 75 years or older in 2017.
An Iowa State University study that shows the age of Iowa’s farmland owners continues to rise is now available through the ISU Extension Store.
Results of the 2018 ISU Land Value Survey will be announced at a news conference at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12 on the Iowa State University Campus in Ames. The annual survey is conducted by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development and ISU Extension and Outreach.