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East-central Wisconsin land values surge 25% as demand outpaces supply

An ag real estate specialist says farmland values are exploding in east-central Wisconsin.

Compeer Financial certified appraiser Jeff Jens tells Brownfield he tracks a benchmark property in Calumet County.

“My year-end benchmark showed a year over year increase of about 25 percent in cropland values, and if I go year-over-year in that timeframe we’re probably even higher than that.”

He says there have been seven auctions in that county since the beginning of 2026 and the sale price for each has been above $20,000 an acre.

Jens attributes supply and demand for driving values higher.

“We have a very limited supply of land for sale, and there’s a lot of potential buyers out there.”

Jens says it’s a dense dairy area and farmers are prioritizing proximity because of manure hauling and other costs.

He made these comments during a Compeer Appraisal podcast, a content partnership with Brownfield.