Farmland Values and Returns by State Through Time
Farmland and Cropland Index and Return Utility
Farmland Correlation With Other Assets by Holding Interval
This utility allows a user to consider the impact of holding period definitions on the relationship between farmland returns and…
Returns to Alternative Investments by Holding Interval
This utility allows a novel view of returns across all possible combinations of purchase and sales dates for farmland in…
US AG Sector Balance Sheet Data Through Time With Lender Shares
Based on USDA data, the composition of the US Ag Sector balance sheet is provided along with formatted graphs to…
Illinois Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers Representative Parcel Transfer Information
This utility provides a powerful comparison of land market transactions through time by region of Illinois. Property characteristics can be…
Land Purchase Evaluation Tool
A comprehensive tool to evaluate returns characteristics associated with the purchase of real assets. Financial structure terms, transactions costs, and…
Related Articles - View All
Projections in the latest Illinois Crop Budgets suggest negative returns on cash rented farmland for the 2026 crop year (see farmdoc daily article from January 13, 2026). This article compares…
Overall, farmland tenure in Illinois varies systematically from north to south, with northern Illinois characterized by a higher reliance on cash rent, central Illinois by greater use of crop share leases, and southern Illinois by a higher proportion of owned land. Average higher-return operations consistently control land in ways that reduce fixed ownership exposure and increase risk sharing through crop share arrangements.
The ratio of US cropland price to cropland cash rent has nearly doubled since 1998, from 20 to 36. Empirical analysis so far has not identified any statistically significant explanatory factor, so this article’s purpose is to call attention to this dramatic change. Given land’s large share of US farm assets (roughly 80%), it is important that identification of the factors underlying the increasing agricultural land-rent ratio receive attention.
Related Videos
Research Briefs and Reports
The Relationship Between Inflation and Farmland Returns
This TIAA Center for Farmland Research publication examines the relationship between inflation and farmland returns through time and across differing periods of inflationary pressure from 1970 to present. Farmland is shown to…
Farmland Markets: Valuation, Investment Performance, and Issues for the Future
This Center Publication identifies and addresses contemporary issues affecting farmland markets, and provides associated linkages to related research and data describing the farmland sector and major issues affecting its future.…