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Program payments and a rise in net farm income could help support 2026 farmland market

A closer look at the farmland market for 2026.

Randy Dickhut with Agricultural Economic Insights says cash rents have remained stable, but are expected to decline in 2026.

“They could go down five, ten, fifteen, to twenty dollars an acre depending on the level of competition in the market,” he says.

He tells Brownfield the projected rise in net farm income could make farmland more accessible for farmers looking to invest.

“The promise for some additional payments plus the program payments next fall do help support land values,” he says. “The small amount of ad-hoc payments already received lends some extra building to the cash flow for farmers and gives them some optimism.”

Dickhut says a shift in the ag economy could change next year’s outlook.

Brownfield interviewed Dickhut during Trade Talk at the 2025 NAFB Convention.

AUDIO: Randy Dickhut, Agricultural Economic Insights