COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri’s farmland market is getting a new county-level examination as University of Missouri Extension seeks estimates from people involved in land transactions.
Announced Nov. 4, the Missouri Farmland Values Opinion Survey asks landowners, lenders, appraisers and real estate professionals to assess cropland, pasture, timberland and hunting or recreational property as of this month.
Ryan Milhollin, MU Extension associate professor and survey organizer, says local participation helps identify differences among regions and land types. Responses will supplement statewide federal estimates.
Participants can assess up to three counties per submission and complete additional surveys for other counties they know. Questions also address intended uses of purchased land and forces influencing the market.
The anonymous survey takes five to 10 minutes and closes Dec. 31. Regional findings and historical comparisons will be published by MU Extension.
Last year’s survey placed average good-quality, nonirrigated cropland at $8,596 per acre and good pasture at $5,651. Those figures are 2025 estimates, not newly released 2026 values.
The distinction matters because the survey measures informed opinions rather than compiling a complete record of every sale.
MU Extension’s published 2025 report explains that Missouri does not require land sale prices to be reported to a government agency, making comprehensive market tracking difficult.
That report drew 417 responses. It found relatively stable nonirrigated cropland and pasture values compared with 2024, while timberland and recreational property gained ground.
Timberland averaged $5,185 per acre, up 14.7%, and hunting or recreational land averaged $5,073, up 7.7%. Irrigated cropland averaged $9,356, down 7.6%.
Respondents identified crop prices, interest rates and exports as downward influences in the 2025 market. Livestock prices and limited availability of quality land were among the upward pressures.
The new survey will provide another measure of how those competing forces are playing out across Missouri.
USDA pasture file photo by Ryan Thompson. Public domain. The photograph illustrates agricultural land and does not depict a property involved in the survey.
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