Flexible Cash Lease Comparisons
A recent article used a case farm in west central Indiana to illustrate net returns to land derived from crop share, fixed cash rent, and flexible cash lease arrangements. This…
Comparing Net Returns for Alternative Leasing Arrangements
Obtaining control of land through leasing has a long history in the United States. Leases on agricultural land are strongly influenced by local custom and tradition. However, in most areas,…
Weekly Farm Economics
Negative Cash Rent Farmland Returns Since 2014 Reduced Farmer Net Incomes
In recent years, many farmers have had positive incomes. However, cash rented farmland may not have been contributing to those positive net incomes. At average cash rent levels, cash rented…
IFES 2016: Farmland Leases: A Reset Needed
Higher farm incomes that began in 2007 and continued through 2012 resulted in significant increases in cash rents. Summary data from the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association (FBFM) records…
Comparing Net Returns for Alternative Leasing Arrangements
Obtaining control of land through leasing has a long history in the United States. Leases on agricultural land are strongly influenced by local custom and tradition. However, in most areas,…
Tenure Characteristics of Illinois Farmland
Data from the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) Association provides insights into leasing arrangements in Illinois. Table 1 contains data summarized from Illinois grain farms enrolled in FBFM. These…
IFES 2015: Evaluating Rental Agreements and Land Values with Lower Prices
It is well known that cash rental levels increased considerably throughout Illinois and the entire Corn Belt region from 2006 to 2014. In 2006, the average cropland cash rent in…
Farmland Ownership in Illinois: New Highlights from USDA Survey
The USDA recently released the results of the 2014 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL). TOTAL is a special study and part of the Census of Agriculture that…
Weekly Farm Economics
Parameters for a 2016 Cash Rent with Bonus
Cash rents need to be lowered to avoid farmer losses in 2016. For obvious reasons, landowners are reluctant to lower cash rents, particularly given uncertainty about 2016 revenue. Switching from…
Farmer Returns for Cash Rent, Share Rent, and Owned Farmland
Returns farmers receive from rental arrangement vary across years. In some years, share rent arrangements have higher farmer returns than cash rental arrangements. In other years, cash rent arrangements have…
Updated Farmland Values and Returns Tools – 2014
Each year, the USDA provides extensive data related to farmland values, rental rates, and other indicators of economic performance by county, state, type of agriculture and other meaningful categorizations of…
Does More Corn Mean Higher Cash Rent?
Last month's post (Is There an Advantage to More Corn Acres in Your Rotation?) reviewed the return and cost advantage as the corn enterprise on a farm increased in intensity.…
The Bioenergy Farm Lease, Part 4: Incorporation of Evolving Standards
As the bioenergy industry in the United States expands to meet increased demands for transportation fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard and electrical power under state Renewable Portfolio Standards, farmers…
Illinois Farmland Leasing Changes
Data show that Illinois farmers own from 13 to 25 percent of the land they operate. Thus, Illinois farmers rent the majority (75 to 87 percent) of the land operate.…
Weekly Farm Economics
2013 County Cash Rents: Levels, Variability, and 2014 Cash Rent Decisions
Average cash rents by county were released on September 6th by the National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These county cash rents are…
Weekly Farm Economics
Farm Managers See More Stable Farmland Prices
Recently, the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers conducted a mid-year survey of its membership concerning outlook for farmland price and cash rental markets. After several years…
Weekly Farm Economics
Share-Rent Landowner Returns Compared to Cash Rents
Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) data were used to calculate returns to share-rent landowners over the period from 2000 through 2012. As expected, share-rent landowners' returns increased since 2006,…
Weekly Farm Economics
Farmland Ownership and Rental Percentages in Illinois: A 2007 to 2012 Perspective
Data from Illinois grain farms were used to evaluate how ownership and tenure percentages have changed over time. Between 2011 and 2012, there has been a shift away from share…
The Bioenergy Farm Lease Part 2: Invasion Concerns
As the bioenergy industry in the United States expands to meet increased demands for transportation fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard and electrical power under state Renewable Portfolio Standards, farmers…
The Bioenergy Farm Lease Part 1: Long-Term Leasing Provisions
As the bioenergy industry in the United States expands to meet increased demands for transportation fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard and electrical power under state Renewable Portfolio Standards, farmers…
A Historical Perspective on Illinois Farmland Sales
Farmland prices have soared in recent years, leading to increased interest in farmland markets and in factors affecting farmland prices. Sales records from the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) allow…
Landlord Characteristics in the USA and in Illinois
The USDA collects a large amount of information directly from farmers and ranchers across the United States. Farmers and ranchers own the majority of the land dedicated to the production…
Rental Agreements in the USA and in Illinois
The USDA collects a large amount of information directly from farmers and ranchers across the United States. Farmers and ranchers own the majority of the land dedicated to the production…
Farmland Tenure in the USA and in Illinois
The USDA collects a large amount of information directly from farmers and ranchers across the United States. Farmers and ranchers own the majority of the land dedicated to the production…
Farmland Turnover in Illinois
There have been several very notable land sales in Illinois and surrounding states setting new high per acre sales prices in many areas, and leading to increased interest by others…