Iowa farmland cash rents remained steady heading into the 2026 leasing season, according to Iowa State University Extension’s latest survey, released earlier this month.
ISU Extension Farm Management Specialist Eric Weuve says the statewide average dipped only slightly from last year, despite some expectations that rents could soften further.
“Statewide was down about a dollar. So we were down slightly from 2025,” Weuve says. “A lot of us were probably expecting that, right? I know there might’ve been some hope last year during negotiations because of economics and the current input prices and everything that rents might’ve been lowered a little bit more, but by and large, obviously that was not the case. A lot of factors on a county by county basis, statewide average go into that.”
In Crop Reporting District 2, which includes Franklin, Butler and Wright counties, the average cash rent for cropland is $272 per acre. High-quality ground averages $313 per acre, medium-quality land $274, and lower-quality acres $229.
Franklin County averages $288 per acre overall, while Butler County averages $297 and Wright County $275.
In District 5, which includes Hardin and Grundy counties, the average cash rent is $287 per acre. High-quality land averages $330 per acre, medium ground $284, and lower-quality, $248.
Locally, Hardin County averages $288 per acre, while Grundy County averages $300.
Weuve says north-central Iowa farmland continues to provide strong value for landowners, particularly on high-quality ground.
“I’m a big fan, land is a solid investment,” Weuve says. “Certainly there are other investment opportunities that can net larger annual returns. However, as I always like to say, land is a solid investment because it will always be there. It certainly changes in value. And the other thing that some people may or may not account for that is the appreciation over time. Land, even in the last 20 years, has appreciated significantly. Sometimes there’s only one way to capture that appreciation and a lot of people that do invest in land don’t always like to sell it to capture that appreciation, but I personally still view it as a solid investment.”
The survey shows a stable overall market, with continued strong premiums for top-quality farmland and more moderate rents on lower-rated acres heading into the 2026 crop year.
Full segment with Eric Weuve below
