Iowa farmland values hold steady amid market uncertainty

Special to the Times Vedette

Farmland values in Iowa held steady in the first half of 2025, according to the semiannual benchmark farmland report from Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica). This stability underscores the financial strength in agriculture, even as producers face ongoing market uncertainty.  

Iowa saw a slight average decline of just -0.10% in farmland values during the first six months of the year, marking the second consecutive dip for the state. Despite these modest decreases, Iowa farmland values remain near record highs, supported by strong farm financials and continued demand for high-quality ground.  

“Unlike short-term commodity price swings or isolated financial stress, land values reflect long-term confidence,” Tim Koch, FCSAmerica executive vice president of business development, said. “When producers are still willing to invest in farmland, it tells us they believe in the future of the industry. That kind of stability is a grounded, tangible signal of where agriculture really stands.” 

Sale prices are tracked separately from the benchmark values included in the report. Averaged across all sales, prices for Iowa farmland have stabilized. The average second quarter price of $12,445 per acre was slightly above the first quarter of 2025.  

State-by-state comparisons  

FCSAmerica tracks values on the same 63 benchmark farms every January and July across Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. As a whole, values ticked up an average of 1.70% with changes for individual states ranging from -0.90% to 5.30%. The 12-month value changes ranged from -3.00% to 11.50% with an average of 2.80%.   

The major factors impacting the agricultural real estate market are lower commodity prices, profitability in the cattle market, and limited supply of real estate for sale, which continues to be consistent over the past reporting periods. Farmers and ranchers also continue to be the predominant buyers.

*The parentheses indicate the number of benchmark operations in each state. 

Below is a state-by-state summary of benchmark values for cropland and pastureland over the past six and 12 months.  

Iowa: Cropland benchmark values decreased -0.10% over the past 6 months and -3.60% over the past 12 months.  

Iowa does not have pasture benchmark farms. 

Nebraska: Cropland benchmark values over the last 6 months decreased -0.50% and -1.20% over the last 12 months. 

Pasture benchmark values decreased slightly over the past 6- and 12-month marks averaging a -1.00% decrease. Nebraska has two benchmarks that are predominantly pasture, an upland pasture farm in central Nebraska and a Sandhills ranch. 

South Dakota: Cropland benchmark values increased 3.50% over the past 6 months and 6.20% over the past year. 

The five pasture benchmarks showed an increase of 14.20% over the past 6 months and 26.2% over the past 12 months. The state of South Dakota showed the greatest strength in pasture values across the Associations this reporting period. The increase is largely due to limited sales data in the western part of the state over the past 12 months; the spring of 2025 has been active with new data to analyze. The availability of land (pasture specifically) along with the strong cattle market has contributed to the sales activity.  

Wyoming: The cropland benchmark was relatively stable over the past 6 months and increased 0.50% over the past year.

The pasture benchmark value increased 9.90% over the past 6 months and 12 month periods, respectively.  

For more information on this report and land values, visit https://www.fcsamerica.com/resources/learning-center/latest-land-values.