OMAHA (DTN) -- U.S. farmland values continued to rise this year, with the average value of cropland topping $6,000 for the first time, while pastureland reached $2,000 an acre.

USDA on Friday released its annual Land Values Summary report, covering both cropland and pasture. The average value includes not only the value of land but also farm buildings.

Overall, farm real estate in the U.S. -- cropland and pasture combined -- averaged $4,500 per acre this year, up $150 an acre from last year, or about 3.4%.

The average value of cropland this year reached $6,020 per acre, up $190 an acre from 2025, or 3.3%.

The average value of pasture reached $2,000 an acre, up $80 from last year, or 4.2%.

While land values continue to rise, they are doing so at a slower pace than last year. Cropland value rose 4.7% in 2025, while pasture values rose 4.9% last year.

To compile the Land Values Summary, USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service sampled approximately 30,000 farm operations. The survey collected information on land and buildings across entire farming operations and estimated changes in values from last year.

Looking at overall farmland values, the Corn Belt averaged $8,590 per acre. Those states include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Ohio. The Pacific region -- California, Oregon and Washington -- came in at $8,440 per acre. Those figures include the value of land and buildings on farms.

CROPLAND VALUES

Since 2022, the average value of cropland has risen from $4,940 per acre nationally to $6,020, a gain of 21.8%.

Tennessee saw the biggest percentage increase, with the average cropland value in the state rising 5.8% to $6,400 per acre for 2026. That was followed by Florida with a 5.2% increase to $11,100 per acre and Wisconsin with a 4.8% increase to $7,600 per acre. Cropland values rose in every state, though no other state posted gains higher than 4.3%.

In the Corn Belt, cropland values in Iowa reached an average of $10,700 per acre, growing by 3.9%. Illinois cropland reached $10,200 per acre, rising 3.6%. Ohio's average cropland value also grew 3.6% to reach $10,100 per acre.

In the Northern Plains, South Dakota cropland values rose 3.5% to $4,770 per acre, while North Dakota cropland rose 3.3% to $2,800 per acre. Kansas' cropland value rose 2.9% to $3,540 per acre. Nebraska's cropland value rose 2.4% to $6,960 per acre.

Contrasting the gap between irrigated and non-irrigated ground, Nebraska's irrigated cropland averaged $9,200 per acre, up 4% in value, while non-irrigated cropland was $5,650 per acre, up just 0.9% from last year.

PASTURE VALUES

Since 2022, pasture values have risen from $1,630 per acre to $2,000, an increase of 22.6%.

Wisconsin saw the highest growth in pasture values at 6.1%, while pasture values rose 5.7% in Kansas and 5.5% in both North Carolina and Tennessee.

Pasture values in the Southeast average $5,920 per acre, while pasture values average $4,880 per acre in the Appalachian region.

Northeastern states with limited land availability -- such as Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Massachusetts -- commanded the highest pasture values.

In Mountain states, pasture values reached $2,500 per acre in Idaho, increasing 4.2%, while Utah averaged $2,000 an acre, rising 5.3%.

LAND VALUES OF TOP 10 AG STATES

The overall farm real estate values -- measuring the value of all land and buildings on farms -- for the top 10 states based on agricultural cash receipts were:

-- California, $14,100 per acre, up 2.9%.

-- Iowa, $10,100 per acre, up 3.2%.

-- Nebraska, $4,400 per acre, up 3.5%.

-- Texas, $3,200 per acre, up 3.2%.

-- Kansas, $3,100 per acre, up 4.2%.

-- Illinois, $9,250 per acre, up 3.6%.

-- Minnesota, $6,950 per acre, up 2.4%.

-- Wisconsin, $6,700 per acre, up 4.4%.

-- Indiana, $9,150 per acre, up 3.4%.

-- North Carolina, $5,750 per acre, up 5.1%.

To view the full report, go to the NASS website: https://www.nass.usda.gov/….

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

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