Ag Land Value Report

Nebraska’s average agricultural land value declined in 2025 for the first time in six years, falling 2 percent to $3,935 an acre, according to the final report from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s 2024-2025 Farm Real Estate Market Survey. 

 The decline comes as Nebraska crop producers face growing financial pressures.

 The report details how land values vary by region of the state and by land type. Grazing land showed modest gains, reflecting ongoing demand driven by higher livestock prices, while irrigated and dryland cropland experienced declines in many parts of the state. Jansen said that the differences in crop and livestock profitability may continue to be reflected in the market value of each industry’s land classes. 

 Cash rental rates for cropland trended lower across the state, down between 1% and 7% compared to last year.

 Pasture rental rates declined by 1 percent in the central region but saw modest gains across the rest of the state, increasing between 1 percent and 5 percent over the prior year.

This year’s report looks at the role of hunting leases as a growing source of income.

 Approximately 49 percent of wild game leases in Nebraska this year were for antelope or deer.

 As for annual income, 62 percent of hunting leases in Nebraska were reported to generate up to $2,499 a year; 29 percent generated $2,500 to $4,999; 8 percent generated $5,000 to $9,999; and 1 percent generated over $10,000. 

 The full report is available on the Center for Agricultural Profitability’s website.