Peoples Perspective

It was late on a Friday afternoon during corn harvest years ago, when my father pulled up beside my tractor and wagon. He opened the door of the combine and told me to follow the tractor's path around the field and to not cut through the field because it was too wet.

Peoples Company, a recognized leader in integrated land management, brokerage, appraisal, and energy solutions with offices across the nation, today announced it has acquired The Atkins Group’s Farmland Management portfolio.

The appraisal team at Peoples Company was able to track 50 tracts or 3,514.48 acres sold at public auction in Iowa during April 2024. The average dollar per acre was $10,852, the average dollar per tillable acre was $13,624, and the average dollar per CSR2 was $181.

At Peoples Company, the question that is heard daily up and down the halls is a simple yet pivotal one: “What is happening in the land market?” In recent years, the answer has been straightforward - an upward trajectory.

In the April edition of the Landowner Insights series, Dr. David Muth presented on market trends, economic drivers, and environmental policy impacting the farmland asset class as well as management strategies to regulate risk and optimize return.

The Pacific Northwest stands as a beacon of environmental stewardship, and renewable energy plays a pivotal role in amplifying its positive impacts. With its lush forests, abundant rivers, and stunning coastlines, the region embodies a natural harmony that renewable energy technologies complement.

In early April, I had the opportunity to join Peoples Company Delta Land Manager Julie Boggs and our 2024 Leading Harvest auditing team on managed farms in northern Louisiana.

Congratulations to Peoples Company agents Matt Adams, Steve Bruere, Adam Crist, and Travis Smock for each winning the coveted Land Star Top Performer Award in the Midwest Region! Their dedication and hard work haven't gone unnoticed, and this award is a well‑deserved recognition of their exceptional achievements in the land real estate market.

Peoples Company tracks agricultural auctions across the state of Iowa. From this data, we calculate the average dollar per CSR2 point ($/CSR2) for sales of tracts with greater than 85% tillable land. Additionally, these tracts are largely unimproved or include minimal improvement contribution.

With planting season right around the corner, Peoples Company wanted to take this opportunity to remind growers of the upcoming important dates revolving around this next stage of the crop insurance cycle. Initial planting dates, replanting, and prevent planting are important topics to discuss during this time of year and play an important role in MPCI coverage moving forward after the sales closing deadline.