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Illinois farmland market shows signs of leveling off, appraiser says

An appraiser with Farm Credit Illinois says there seems to be a shift occurring in the farmland market.

Laura Enger, newly elected president of the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, tells Brownfield, “What I’m seeing is some interesting land values, some widening ranges of what auctions are going for.”  She says, “A lot of farms are going towards listings now, or just private transactions, less auctions.”

She says she’s seen noticeable changes in her central Illinois territory over the past six months.

“I think cropland A in certain areas is coming down a little bit, or people like to say leveling off.”  She says, “But my C farm, it’s more like level. It didn’t really change that much from last July. So, it’s just really location specific and it’s kind of property type specific.”

Enger says recreational woodland values continue to hold strong in her area.

Brownfield spoke with Enger at ISPFMRA’s 2026 annual meeting in Springfield.

AUDIO: Laura Enger – ISPFMRA