Cash Rent & Land Values Survey - Burke County, North Dakota

County Agent News
Dan Folske
April 8, 2013
Cash Rent and Land Values Survey
It’s a little later than usual this year but the County Rents and Values Survey is finally
available and it’s no surprise that values are up for 2013. Cropland rents are up about five dollars
per acre. The 2012 average for cropland in Burke County was $32.80 per acre and the 2013
average has been published at $37.20, an increase of $4.60 per acre. The most frequently
reported rate went from $30.00 per acre to $35.00 per acre. The minimum reported cash rent
went from $25.00 per acre to $25.78 per acre, only 78 cents difference, while the maximum
reported went from $45.00 per acre to $55.00 per acre, a jump of $10.00 per acre.
Pasture rents also climbed with the average rental rate in Burke County going from
$10.50 per acre to $12.10 per acre. The most frequently reported rates went from $10.00 per acre
to $12.00 per acre.
The reported values of the rented land also went up from $780 per acre for cropland to
$817 per acre for cropland.
You can access this report online at
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/North_Dakota/Publications/Land_Values_and_Fa
rm_Numbers/
Previous years surveys can also be found at the same site for usable historic comparisons.
The North Dakota Department of Trust Lands will also soon begin hosting the survey on
their website at http://land.nd.gov/surface/rentsurvey.aspx
2013 North Dakota Angus University Feed-Out Program
The North Dakota Angus Association is again partnering with the NDSU Carrington
Research Extension Center (CREC) in sponsoring the second annual North Dakota Angus
University (NDAU) calf feed-out program.
In the summer and fall of 2012, the first NDAU project was held with great success. One
hundred and thirty nine head of yearling and fall steer calves where consigned by five producers
who participated in the feed-out program at the CREC. In addition to the valuable information
producers received regarding the feedlot performance of their cattle; the steers were used in a
feedlot research trial. No treatments were imposed that would reduce performance of the
animals. In the 2012 feed-out program, cattle gained an average of 4.50 lbs per head per day,
had a feed efficiency of 6.31 pounds of feed intake (dry matter) per pound of live weight gain,
and had a dressing percentage of 63.5%, with 87% grading choice or better.
If you are interested in gaining a better understanding of how your Angus sired cattle
perform in the feedlot, their quality grade and the potential profitability available through
retained ownership; then Angus University would be a viable option for steers from your

operation. Participants in NDAU will receive periodic progress reports on their calves’
performance as well as a final report on the overall performance, efficiency, and carcass traits for
their calves.
NDAU participant Mike Wendel from LaMoure, ND, was happy with his calves’ results
in the first NDAU trial and was able to use it as a benchmark comparison in his own herd. “Not
only did we get the carcass data back from the cattle we had at the University, but we also did a
carcass and profit comparison to the calves we had there against the calves we kept at home,”
says Wendel. “I think that was a huge bonus for us. We compared our rate of gain and carcass
performance. It was a nice, unbiased comparison, and the whole process has been very
educational.”
The NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center requests that animal consignments be
in multiples of four from each individual producer. If you are interested in participating or have
questions, contact Dr. Vern Anderson at the CREC at (701) 652-2951 or email
vern.anderson@ndsu.edu; or ND Angus Association Board Member Mike Wendel at 701-710-
0425.