Downloadable Tools and Data
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…
Farmland Values and Returns by State Through Time
This utility provides a quick and convenient means to visually compare aggregate state level farmland and cropland information with returns…
Farmland Index Construction Utility
This utility allows a user to estimate the current value of farmland based on an earlier valuation, or estimate a…
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
Over time, more farmland leases in Illinois have been shifting from traditional crop share leases to cash leases. In addition, there has been some increase in flexible or variable rent…
Lower returns to rented land and higher interest rates began to signal the potential for downward pressure on farmland values in 2023. Those signals continue, with current fundamentals suggesting land value reductions of around 3% in 2025. A 3% decline would be in line with observed adjustments since the 1980s as well as expectations from professional farm managers surveyed in 2024. On the other hand, valid arguments exist for continued strength in farmland values.
The variable cash lease has been gaining traction in recent years as farmer tenants seek more risk-sharing without the managerial headaches that can come with traditional share leases. Relative to a fixed cash rent situation the variable cash lease is projected to result in better farmer returns when revenues decline. However, the economic situation facing producers since 2023 highlights the risk-sharing gap that remains if variable lease designs adjust only to changes in crop revenues.
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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.…