The 2017 average Iowa cropland cash rent by county as reported by USDA/NASS was $231/acre, down $4/acre from last year. The county averages ranged from $144/acre in Lucas County to $273/acre in Benton County. The Lucas County average was down $6/acre from 2016, however the Benton County average increased by $39/acre. Ida County had the highest average cropland cash rent in 2016 at $281/acre, but fell to an average of $254/acre in 2017.
The Iowa average pastureland cash rent for 2017 was $54/acre, a $2/acre increase from 2016. Harrison County reported the highest average cash rent in 2017 for pastureland at $86/acre, while Boone County was the lowest average at $28/acre. Note: Several counties shown on the map below are blank as they did not report this data.
Remember that these are averages and when calculating cash rental rates there are endless factors to account for such as the geography of the land, soil type, accessibility of farm, crop prices and expenses.
Click here for an interactive map that shows cash rent by county for prior years.