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Nebraska Notebook: Ag land values rose 6% on average across the state, according to a survey.

July 28, 2021

3 Min Read
High clearance machine
BEAT THE WEEDS: Weeds and other pests create big challenges for farmers. One tool to help in the battle — the Guide for Weed, Disease and Insect Management in Nebraska — known as the Weed Guide, turns 61 years old this year. Curt Arens

The Guide for Weed, Disease and Insect Management in Nebraska, or the Weed Guide, as it is popularly known, is one of the most sought-after publications produced by Nebraska Extension.

The guide was first published in 1960 under the title, “Chemicals that Control Weeds.” It was only six pages long. Fifty years later, by 2010, the guide had grown to 220 pages, with insect and disease management information added in 2011, making the guide more useful than ever.

The 2021 Weed Guide is 375 pages of the most current, researched pest control recommendations based on the principles of Integrated Pest Management. Written by 18 University of Nebraska Extension specialists and educators, it brings together the disciplines of weed science, plant pathology, entomology and pesticide safety education.

From 2015 to 2020, more than 15,000 copies of the guide have been distributed each year to customers in Nebraska and neighboring states, along with some orders from Canada, the East and West Coast of the U.S.

Nebraska Extension estimates that conservatively, the guide offers at least $20 million worth of research-based information, including the herbicide efficacy tables for each crop tested by at least one UNL weed specialist.

Get the 2021 Weed Guide online at extensionpubs.unl.edu.

Ag land value up 6%

The market value of agricultural land in Nebraska increased 6% over the prior year to an average of $2,895 per acre, according to the final report from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s 2021 Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey.

Rates of increase were highest in the north, northeast, central and southeast districts of the state, with average increases of 6% to 8% over the prior year. Western regions reported smaller increases, between 3% and 5%.

The survey revealed that current crop prices, interest rates and purchases for farm expansion contributed to higher land values, as did non-farm investor land purchases and federal farm program payments, according to respondents.

Participants noted that the outlook for future increases in land value remains better than prior years of declining market values. Of the 16 forces measured in the survey, only farm input costs, future property tax policies and property tax levels negatively affected the market value of land.

The estimated statewide value of center pivot-irrigated cropland rose by about 8% across the state. Dryland cropland values rose by about 6%. Grazing land and hay land market values are about 3% to 5% higher than the prior year.

Final survey results also revealed that rental rates for cropland and grazing land in the state have increased by an average of about 4% to 8%.

The Nebraska Farm Real Estate Report is an annual survey conducted by the university’s Department of Agricultural Economics and published by the Center for Agricultural Profitability. The survey panel of land professionals includes appraisers, farm and ranch managers, and agricultural bankers.

Results from the survey are divided by land class and agricultural statistic districts. Land values and rental rates presented in the report are averages of survey participants’ responses by district. Actual land values and rental rates may vary depending upon the quality of the parcel and local market for an area.

The final report is available on the Center for Agricultural Profitability’s website at cap.unl.edu/realestate.

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