An annual survey conducted by Iowa State University Extension shows rental rates for Iowa farmland have increased for the first time in five years. ISU Extension economist Ann Johanns says cash rents seem to be following land values instead of expected farm profitability.
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A little more than half of the farmland in Iowa is rented. Johanns says this year, the average statewide rental rate is $222 per acre, an increase of just 1.4 percent over last year.
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The survey shows the highest average cash rent in Grundy County at $290 per acre. The lowest rental rate is in Clarke County at $126.