Agriculture is very land intensive. We need space to be able to produce what we need to feed the world. Whether it is row crops, small grains, hog barns or cattle pastures; all of them take up space and that means that competition is going to arise for farmland across the country.
We have seen the top price paid for an acre of land shattered a few times in the past few years. The last record was set at $34,000 per acre a few weeks ago in Missouri, and it doesn’t stop there. Rental rates are also climbing as renters are trying to outbid each other to run someone else’s land.
This is becoming more and more true of rangelands as well. The cattle market exploded over the past year or more, and the high prices have producers trying to find all the space they can to graze and raise cattle. Luckily, you don’t need prime farm ground to do it, but it is still going to cost you some big bucks in the near future.
Tony Toso is President of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. He talks about what he sees coming very soon.
When it comes to quality rangelands, there are two favorable types.
As he looks at where he lives, he says that timely spring rains improved the quality of the rangelands and pastures.
As farmers in his area are finishing up calving, they are seeing a recovery from the drought-stricken herds that were being culled just a short time ago.
With this resurgence in those cattle herds, and the eventual turnaround coming back; more land is going to be needed to get these cattle ready.
