The annual Iowa State University Extension farmland survey shows land values statewide increased by 0.7% an acre. ISU’s Rabail Chandio oversees the survey.
The increase brings the statewide average this year for an acre of farmland to $11,549. She says when you consider inflation, land values are holding steady.
Six of the nine crop districts reported increases in land values.
The crop district in the northeast corner of the state saw a land value increase of four-point-one percent. Chandio says the money made from cattle was better than for crops.
Chandio says the lack of available farmland for purchase helped keep prices up.
The top negative factor in the value of farmland are the continued low commodity prices.
O’Brien County once again has the highest county-level land values at $16,269 dollars an acre. The lowest land values are again reported in Appanoose County at $6,679 an acre, down some 2.3% from last y ear. While land values were up on average across Iowa, Kossuth County saw a drop of 4.3% to $12,414/acre, the largest drop in the state. Land value drops were also reported in Emmet (-0.1%), Palo Alto (-2.3%), Pocahontas (-3.1%), Humboldt (-3.8%), Hancock (-2.5%), Winnebago (-2.5%), and Wright (-3.8%) counties. You can find out more by going to www.farmland.card.iastate.edu/isu-land-value-survey-2025.
