Cash Rents

USDA NASS Survey – County Cash Rent Averages for 2025

Barry Ward, Ohio State’s leader in production business management and director of the income tax schools at Ohio State University, recently sent out an update to Extension offices about the county cash rent estimates for 2025. This data was released by USDA NASS this past Friday.

For Lorain County Farmers, the 2025 estimate average came out to $141 per acre. This is a 6.8% increase on the estimate from 2024. The 5-year average is $131 per acre.

While this information can provide a good starting point for conversations between landowners and their tenants, there are other considerations that can help you settle on an agreed rate for your ground.

Some of the other things to consider would be the cost of property taxes on the rented land, soil type, production history, land improvements (like tile vs no tile), expected crop prices, input costs, and anything else that the landowner might prioritize.

Ultimately, a fair cash rent will usually balance the local going rates with what the land can realistically produce; while ensuring the tenant can earn a margin and the owner gets competitive compensation.

There is also good information regarding farm leases on the OSU Law Library which can be located on the OSU Farm Office webpage, here: https://farmoffice.osu.edu/home

Western Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents 2024-25 Survey Results

By:Barry Ward, Leader, Production Business Management

The Western Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents study was conducted from January through April in 2025. This opinion-based study surveyed professionals with a knowledge of Ohio’s cropland values and rental rates. Professionals surveyed were rural appraisers, agricultural lenders, professional farm managers, ag business professionals, OSU Extension educators, farmers, landowners, and government personnel.

The study results are based on 145 surveys. Respondents were asked to group their estimates based on three land quality classes: average, top, and bottom. Within each land-quality class, respondents were asked to estimate average corn and soybean yields for a five-year period based on typical farming practices. Survey respondents were also asked to estimate current bare cropland values and cash rents negotiated in the current or recent year for each land-quality class. Survey results were summarized for western Ohio with regional summaries (subsets of western Ohio) for northwest Ohio and southwest Ohio.

Results from the Western Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents Survey show cropland values in western Ohio are expected to increase in 2025 by 0.6 to 4.1 percent depending on the region and land class. Cash rents are expected to increase from 0.9 to 1.9 percent in 2025 depending on the region and land class. Decreasing profit margins continue to put downward pressure on cropland values and cash rents while still reasonable farm equity positions and increasing property taxes continue to support values and rents. Cropland values and cash rents are expected to increase minimally in 2025 although further decreases in crop prices and projected profit margins may put further downward pressure on both cropland values and rents. Continue reading Western Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents 2024-25 Survey Results →