Iowa Land Value  ·  Overview

in conjunction with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Iowa Farmland Value Portal BETA

Your One-Stop Web-Portal for Everything You Need to Know about Iowa’s Farmland Value

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 $450, or 5.9 percent, since November, 2015. Farmland values hit a historic high in 2013, but have steadily declined since then. The statewide average value for an acre of farmland is now about 17.5 percent lower than 2013 values.

Overview of ISU Land Value Survey

Since 1941, Iowa State University has conducted an annual land value survey to collect and analyze information on land values in each of Iowa’s 99 counties. In 2015, Dr. Wendong Zhang, an associate professor of economics, took over responsibility as lead researcher on the project.

This newly developed, interactive web portal provides an intuitive way for landowners, producers, agricultural professionals, and policymakers to learn more about the farmland market in Iowa and the Midwest. In particular, it offers the following functions and tools:

Current Results — the most recent results from the annual Iowa State University Land Value Survey.

Graphs — a comparison of land value trends across regions, data sources, and over time.

Interactive County Maps — spatial visualization of land value and changes in land value for each of the 99 counties in Iowa.

Downloads — datasets on land value trends from ISU, USDA, Federal Reserve and Realtor Land Institute.

FAQ — answers to commonly asked questions regarding the ISU Land Value Survey and the farmland market in general.

Resources — publications, presentations and resources like farmland auction prices.

Land News, History, and Survey Archive — learn more about land value trends from previous ISU surveys, land auction results, industry farmland value index, and media reports.

Recent Updates on Iowa Farmland Values

Presentations by Dr. Wendong Zhang

February AgLetter - Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago February AgLetter reports no change in Iowa’s “good” farmland values from October 2016 to January 2017.

Realtor Land Institute reported a 0.9% increase in Iowa cropland values from September 2016 to March 2017.

Please give us any feedback/comments below, or contact Wendong Zhang.
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