In The News

Farmland values continued to climb in many areas in 2024, but the increases were more modest compared with recent years. Experts say prices are likely to dip in 2025.

Jackson Drost applies the Golden Rule on his Mahaska County farm, treating every acre as if it were his own. The principle extends to communication with landowners and farm managers, who Drost works to keep informed through weekly updates.

Using a combination of data with boots-on-the-ground experience, Peoples Company has released its fourth annual land values report. The report shows a three-year period of remarkable land appreciation across the country – something Bruce Sherrick, professor and director of the TIAA Center for Farmland Research at the University of Illinois, says has not been surprising.

The Peoples Company National Land Values report says, "high quality farmland in the Corn Belt is truly viewed as the gold standard for agricultural investments."

The value of farmland in Clinton County increased 16.3% last year, following the upward trend seen in all 99 counties of Iowa.

John F. Kelly, President Donald Trump's former chief of staff, will be a keynote speaker at the Peoples Co.'s Land Investment Expo in Des Moines shortly before the presidential inauguration. In the Jan. 12 appearance at the Iowa Events Center, Anthony Scaramucci will conduct an on-stage interview with Kelly, a retired four-star Marine Corps general. Scaramucci was fired by Kelly in 2017 after a brief and tumultuous stint as Trump's communications director.

Over the last half century, the Weiderts have created a powerhouse of a farm. Their next step? Find someone to take it to the next level.

According to a 2015 Iowa State University study, 56 percent of all Iowa farmland is owned by those 65 and older.

Though the numbers don’t exactly pop off the page, the implications are significant: With upwards of 85 percent of our foodstuffs sourced from within the United States, how—and by whom—will our future farms be run?

U.S. farmland prices may drop due to headwinds including rising interest rates and new tariffs.

The prices for farm land have been steady after peaking at all-time highs in recent years when farmers benefitted from high crop prices and low interest rates. Even after crop prices have dropped in past years, land prices have held firm nationally because the capitalization rate (the ratio of net operating income to asset value) has remained attractive for buyers.

While Iowa-based Peoples Company offers land management, appraisals, land investments, brokerage and auction services, the foundation of everything is people.