The $1.7 Trillion Landlord: New USDA Data Reveals the Shifting Face of Ownership

ZISK
43 minutes ago
1 min read

While farm economics face tightening margins, the ground beneath them has never been more valuable.

New USDA data reveals a 47% surge in rented farmland value over the last decade, even as the footprint of available acreage shrinks. With $1.7 trillion in assets now held by a shifting demographic of landlords, the landscape of American agriculture is undergoing a transformation.

Per the 2024 Tenure, Ownership and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey, there are a little more than 2 million landowners renting out 347.8 million acres for agricultural production. That compares to 2% fewer landlords in 2014, but 10 years ago there was 353.8 million acres rented out.

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