After a surge driven by high commodity prices and investor interest, U.S. farmland values are finally slowing. States like Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska saw double-digit increases in recent years, but new USDA data shows the market stabilizing. Rising interest rates and operational costs are cooling demand, even as institutional investors continue buying land. With over 40% of farmland owned by those 65 and older, the coming decades will bring a major transfer of ownership—raising big questions about the future of American agriculture.
If trends that impact North Dakota matter to you, and they do whether you know it or not, this is a story that’s worth reading. Lauren Cross with Investigate Midwest goes deeper in on the demographic and economic trend that is already reshaping agriculturally focused places like North Dakota.
