Earlier this week I came across an interesting article about farmland prices a little closer to home, in Stearns County. In fact, we farm some land in Colfax township, which is right along western Stearns County. Some highlights from the article, written by Kirsti Marohn of the St. Cloud Times, are as follows:
- The price of farmland in western Stearns County is reaching record levels. Sales for more than $5,000 per acre are becoming more common.
- In fact, in Raymond Township, the price per acre went up almost $5,000 just in the last 5 years - from an average of $2,241 in 2007 to a sale of 75 acres for $7,224 in 2012.
- Interestingly, "for the first time in almost two decades, land in western Stearns County is worth more than land on the fringe of the St. Cloud metro" according to Stearns County Assessor Gary Grossinger.
- According to a local appraiser, recent sales prices have been in the $5,500 and $6,500 range.
- Many farmers are looking to expand, pushing prices higher and making it harder to find available farmland. And farmers are buying the land - not outside investors. "It’s mainly large corn or sugar beet farmers taking the opportunity to buy adjacent land to expand," according to Mark Koehn, an appraiser for Stearns County who specializes in farmland.
- Much like the larger economy, there is always an element of uncertainty that casts a shadow on what has been a bright spot in the economy. Agriculture has been very strong for the last couple of years, but everyone knows that could change quickly if prices drop or if supplies outpace demand.
To read the full article, you can go to: http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201301280245/NEWS01/301280018
If you think now would be a good time to sell your farmland, or even just have it appraised to see what the market value looks like right now, please give me a call at 320-894-7528 or e-mail me at noah@farmlandman.com and I will help you out!
Sincerely,
Noah Hultgren
noah@farmlandman.com
320-894-7528
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