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Buyer interest in farmland isn’t waning

Despite a tight farm economy, farmland values in some parts of the Corn Belt continue to hold.

RD Schrader, president of Indiana-based Schrader Real Estate and Auction says interest in buying farm ground isn’t waning.  “I say that based on the fact that there is still a lot of cash out there looking to be invested in farmland,” he says.  “Both by investors and operators.  There are some operators that saved some considerable money during those very good years.”

And, he tells Brownfield a recent land-grant study shows farm operators are still making the majority of farmland purchases.  “At the strongest point here, operators were buying nearly 80 percent of the land – according to their numbers,” he says.  “Investors were closer to 20 percent.”

Schrader says if farmers are positioned well – farmland is still a solid long-term investment.

At a recent land auction in central Illinois, 120 acres of farmland in Champaign County sold for $11,300 an acre.

AUDIO: RD Schrader, Schrader Real Estate and Auction