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High cash rents in Iowa

A farm real estate specialist says he’s seeing high cash rental rates in Iowa.

Jim Rothermich with Iowa Appraisal tells Brownfield, “I just picked one up not too long ago $587 an acre for a five-year term. That’s the highest one I’ve gotten so far.”

He says the cash rent market has been strong this spring. “I see very little difference between this year and last year’s cash rent negotiations. It’s surprisingly stron.”

A recent survey from the University of Illinois says 50% of farm managers expect cash rents in 2026 to be the same as 2025, while 50% expect 2026 rents to decrease.

AUDIO: Iowa Appraisal’s Jim Rothermich