SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — In late May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will begin surveying famers in Illinois and across the United States to estimate the value of agricultural land. The survey will be used to determine the average value per acre of all farmland, cropland and pastureland.
“The survey will be mailed to farmers near the end of May. Farmers may return the survey by mail or online,” said Mark Schleusener, Illinois state statistician.
The USDA encourages farmers to respond online at the website www.agcounts.usda.gov, as it is secure, efficient and saves costs.
“This annual survey provides valuable information about land values to farmers and rural communities,” Schleusener said.
Farmers may be contacted by phone during June if they have not returned their survey by mail or online.
“This survey shows that cropland values in Illinois peaked in 2014 and have declined very modestly since then,” Schleusener said. “Pastureland values peaked in 2015.”
NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified, as required by federal law.
Results will be published in the Agricultural Land Values report, to be released Aug. 6 online at www.nass.usda.gov/publications.
For more information, call the NASS Heartland Regional Field Office at 800-551-1014.