Local farmland values dropped by as much as 2.2% from 2018 to 2019, according to a report issued by Iowa State University. Clayton County values experienced the steepest decline dropping 2.2% during the year to an average of $6,584 per acre. Other local values included Delaware County, an average of $8,467 per acre, a decline of 1.3%; Dubuque, $7,607, down 1.8%; and Jackson, $6,721, down 0.3%. The statewide value is estimated at $7,432 per acre, an increase of 2.3% since 2018. The report indicates that 17 of Iowa’s 99 counties experienced a decline in land values. The report attributes the decline in Iowa’s northeast to financial stress in the dairy sector.
