Trends in the value of farmland and land rental rates are critical to the overall financial health of the agricultural and rural economy. Land is usually the most valued asset in Iowa agriculture and, for most farmers, rent is typically the biggest expense.

Yet it’s often tough for farmers and others in agriculture to find current information sources on trends in land values and rental rates, according to Dave Miller, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s (IFBF) director of research and commodity services.

"Much of what we know about...