Industry Insights Blogs

Farmland can be a difficult asset class to participate in as there are significant barriers to entry, one of which is sourcing quality farmland for sale in a highly dynamic market. For the Farmland Investor, access to quality deal flow is essential for building your portfolio.

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.

The appraisal team at Peoples Company was able to track 93 tracts or 7,374 acres sold at public auction in Iowa during September 2024. The average dollar per acre was $13,428, the average dollar per tillable acre was $13,481, and the average dollar per CSR2 was $170.

The business of farmland transactions and asset management is digitizing quickly. Twenty years ago, a farmland professional needed to take a trip to the local USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) office to get a soil map for a farmland asset. The NRCS staff would use the USDA farm and tract number to find the asset in a binder, pull the page(s) with the map, and run the pages through the copying machine to produce hard copies of the map.

Go, Dog. Go! This classic children’s book written by P.D. Eastman was my daughter’s favorite book. She loved the pictures of colorful dogs franticly racing from one place to another, seemingly without any purpose. Some days a career in rural appraisal can feel very similar. Running from property inspections, market research, meetings, classes, verifying sales, and writing appraisal reports, can make it feel like we are running in circles.

For our next webinar in the Landowner Insights series, Dave Chatterton of Strategic Farm Marketing joins Dr. Dave Muth to discuss crop insurance and how it impacts farmland values and returns.

The appraisal team at Peoples Company was able to track 52 tracts or 5,039 acres sold at public auction in Iowa during August 2024. The average dollar per acre was $13,134, the average dollar per tillable acre was $14,862, and the average dollar per CSR2 was $181.

The appraisal team at Peoples Company was able to track 35 tracts or 2,754 acres sold at public auction in Iowa during July 2024. The average dollar per acre was $10,669, the average dollar per tillable acre was $13,495, and the average dollar per CSR2 was $178.

For our next webinar in the Landowner Insights series, Kyle Walker joins Dr. Dave Muth and Steve Bruere to discuss Peoples Company's approach to managing farmland. This session will highlight our comprehensive strategies aimed at maximizing appreciation and ensuring long-term value growth.

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.