Chicago Fed says Q1 farmland values and credit remained high

The Chicago Fed is reporting a rise in farmland values and farmer credit conditions in the first quarter.

Senior business economist David Oppedahl tells Brownfield values for the first three months of the year were up 23 percent compared to last year and the strongest in nearly a decade.

“The increase in commodity prices has been a big part of it,” he says.  “It’s helped to shore up cash flow in the net farm income, but then also the continued low-interest rates.”

Oppedahl says values remain the strongest in the “I” states.

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