Supporting local is who we are When you buy from your local feed store, you: • Keep money in your local community • Support local working families • Support local community causes • Receive loyalty discounts • Can get your product delivered We care about your success! Countryside Feed & Supply 563.872.4270 Pictured: Garrett Moeller (manager), with Paisley (dog) and Caylee Ploessl. 908 Riverview St., Bellevue, IA or online methods the past six months due to the spread of the virus,” he said. The high bid in Schwager’s recent online auction was $5,500 an acre. “This sale reflects the market, which is holding steady with very little movement up or down,” he said. Despite the uncertainties and challenges in the agriculture industry this year, land values have held their ground, and sales have “reflected a strong market in an area where there isn’t much land available for sale,” Schwager said. Land values in <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> decreased a mere 0.2% in March from September 2019, according to the spring <strong>Iowa</strong> Land Trends and Values Survey. For the state overall, values increased 0.1% percent in March from the previous September and were up 0.9% year-over-year. Crop reporting districts were consistent with less than a 1% change in most districts with the Southeast district seeing the largest increase at 1.8% and the South Central District seeing the largest decrease at 1.3%. For the 10-county East Central region of the state – which includes Cedar, Clinton, Jackson and Jones counties – modest gains were seen in high-quality cropland ($10,181/acre from $10,048/ acre) and in non-tillable pasture and timber. Slight decreases were seen in medium-quality cropland ($7,598 from $7,659) and low-quality cropland ($4,984 from $5,017). The survey is compiled and released every six months by the <strong>Iowa</strong> Farm & Land Chapter #3 REALTORS Land Institute, an arm of the National Association of Realtors for realtors who specialize in farm and land sales, management and appraisal. Schwager, who is a member coronavirus “COVID-19 has certainly affected the availability of land on the market across the state. June showed a reported 16% decrease in land auctions compared with June 2019.” — Chuck Schwager of the group, noted some of the reasons he believes land values have held relatively steady the past couple of years. Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments, good yields in some locations, and favorable interest rates have helped, he noted. MFP payments are designed to assist farmers affected by tariffs and reduced exports. Corn, soybeans, hogs and dairy are among the commodities eligible for the program. Land values have been in a decline mode following a peak in 2013. Over the last six years, about six declines have occurred, all relatively modest. However, the 2019 figures represent the second growth phase in the past six years. As the agriculture industry continues to weather the pandemic, every sector is seeing an impact. “COVID-19 has certainly affected the availability of land on the market across the state,” Schwager said. “June showed a reported 16% decrease in land auctions compared with June 2019.” He expects there may be more land on the market this fall due to some potential sellers holding off earlier this year due to the coronavirus. n 80 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | fall <strong>2020</strong> eifarmer.com
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