Monday December 15 Ag News - Landlord-Tenant Wksps Set for Blair, Lincoln - Feeding Forages to Cattle webinar - IA Farmland Values Up 0.7% - Sept Red Meat Export Stats - and more!

 Landlord/Tenant Cash Rent Workshops to Cover Leasing, Financial Strategies and Farm Transition

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Agricultural Profitability and Nebraska Extension will present a series of landlord/tenant cash rent workshops for landowners and operators at locations across the state beginning in December.

The meeting, titled “Financial Strategies for Effective Agricultural Land Leasing and Management” will cover current Nebraska cash rental rates and land values, best practices for agricultural leases, and other contract considerations. The meeting will also include financial considerations for farm succession and transition and offer an opportunity for those in attendance to have their leasing questions answered.

Nebraska Extension agricultural economists with the Center for Agricultural Profitability will lead the meetings, which are free to attend. Registration is requested by calling the host Extension office prior to the meeting

Schedule and Registration Information:
    Dec. 16, 2025, in Mead, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center, 1071 County Road G. Lunch included, sponsored by Farmers National Company. Register by Dec. 15 by calling Nebraska Extension in Saunders County at 402-624-8030.
     
    Jan. 8, 2026, in Blair, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m., at the office of Nebraska Extension in Washington County, 597 Grant Street, Suite 200. Lunch included, sponsored by Farmers National Company.  Register by Jan. 7 by calling Nebraska Extension in Washington County at 402-426-9455.
     
    Feb. 10, 2026, in Lincoln, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m., at the office of Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County, 444 Cherrycreek Road, Suite A. Lunch included, sponsored by Farmers National Company. Register by Feb. 9 by calling Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County at 402-441-7180.

This work is supported by the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, project award no. 2024-70027-42470, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.



CAP Webinar: Nebraska Ag Outlook 2026: Policy, Tax and Financial Considerations
Dec 18, 2025 12:00 PM 
-Brad Lubben, Associate Professor, Extension Ag Policy Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
-Jessica Groskopf, Extension Ag Economist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
-Flint Corliss, Associate Farm Financial Consultant, Nebraska Farm Business, Inc.

Presenters will break down the latest tax policy changes, developments in agricultural policy, and financial management considerations that matter to Nebraska producers. This webinar highlights essential takeaways from CAP's in-person Cornhusker Economics: Ag Outlook meetings and offers practical guidance you can use as you plan for the year ahead.

Miss the live webinar or want to review it again? Recordings are available — typically within 24 hours of the live webinar — in the archive section of the Center for Agricultural Profitability's webinar page, https://cap.unl.edu/webinars. 



Four-State Dairy Nutrition & Management Conference December Webinar Will Focus On Forages: what do we know and what are we learning about feeding alfalfa to dairy cows?

The Four-State Dairy Nutrition & Management Conference webinar series continues on Friday, December 19, at 12 noon CST with Dr. Paul Kononoff, Dairy Nutrition Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska, Lincoln discussing feeding alfalfa to dairy cows..

This presentation will review current research on how alfalfa compares with other forage sources in its effects on dry matter intake, fiber digestibility, and dairy cow performance. It will cover key nutritional characteristics of alfalfa such as NDF fragility, uNDF, RFV/RFQ, palatability, and lignin concentration—and how these factors influence rumen function and milk production. The session will also address practical ration-formulation strategies and emerging approaches to enhance intake, efficiency, and profitability in modern dairy feeding systems.

Kononoff grew up in Canada and studied at the University of Saskatchewan and then in 1998 attended Penn State University and eventually earned a PhD in animal science with an emphasis on animal nutrition. Upon completion of his PhD he worked in the dairy industry by serving as a technical support specialist, then as a project director at the University of New Hampshire. Since 2005 he has been employed at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with an appointment of research and extension. He has several major research areas: forage quality, feed characterization with application to nutrition models, and energy metabolism. Many will recognize him as the past editor of the Journal of Dairy Science.

Producers, dairy consultants and industry reps are encouraged to attend the free webinar live from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 19 by registering on-line at least one hour before the webinar at:

https://go.iastate.edu/ALFALFATODAIRYCOWS

For more information, please contact: Fred M. Hall in Iowa at 712.737.4230; Jim Salfer in Minnesota at 320-203-6093; Phil Cardoso in Illinois at 217.300.2303; or Paul Fricke in Wisconsin at 608.263.4596.



Iowa Farmland Values Inch Up in Market Readjustment

The annual Iowa State University Land Value Survey found that average farmland values increased 0.7%, or $83, to $11,549 per acre. The nominal value of an acre of farmland this year increased over last year’s nominal value, but is still about $286 per acre lower than the 2023 peak of $11,835.

Dr. Rabail Chandio, who is responsible for the annual survey, said that she typically considers changes of less than 5%, whether up or down, as more of an adjustment than a true market change. “Changes of that size often reflect variation across counties and crop reporting districts rather than a consistent statewide trend,” she said. “It wasn’t a boom or a bust, just a very uneven adjustment, with the story changing as you move across the state. Strong yields, limited land supply, and solid livestock income helped prop up values in some areas, but lower commodity prices, high interest rates, and rising costs pulled them down in others.” 

When the nominal value increases, but the inflation-adjusted value decreases as it did this year, it can still be helpful for farmers, but only to a point, Chandio said. “A farmer selling land this year will receive more dollars than last year, and that can still support goals like paying down debt (whose real burden also shrinks with inflation), transitioning to retirement, or reinvesting elsewhere. In that sense, the higher nominal price provides some benefit,” she said.

However, when inflation-adjusted values fall, additional money from land sales won’t stretch as far as it might have previously. “Sellers may find that the proceeds won’t buy as much machinery, land, or inputs as they would have a few years ago. So, while selling today can still improve a farmer’s financial position, the real economic gain is smaller than the nominal price increase suggests,” Chandio said.

Despite the small growth in farmland values, there were many factors putting downward pressure on farmland values this year. Chandio said one of those factors is federal interest rates, which only saw modest cuts in 2025. “Because we haven’t seen any major reductions, the market is still feeling the weight of the rate hikes from 2022 and 2023. And since interest-rate effects take years, up to a decade, to be fully capitalized in land values, those post-COVID increases are still working their way through the system,” Chandio said.

Commodity markets also put some pressure on land prices this year. Chandio called commodity prices “soft” but said that tariffs likely only played a small and indirect role in this year’s farmland values. “Tariffs may have been part of the background noise, but they weren’t a major driver of farmland values,” she said. Farmers, she said, are still just facing very tight margins on commodities, even with lower production costs. 

Chandio said she feels one of the most interesting things about this year’s report is how divided the market has become. “Even though the statewide average ticked up 0.7%, most counties actually saw declines once you adjust for inflation, and three crop reporting districts posted nominal drops. At the same time, places in the northeast saw increases of 3-4%, while parts of central Iowa slipped by 2-3%,” she said.

Land Values by District
Land values increased across six of Iowa’s nine crop reporting districts. The highest average land values were reported in the Northwest district, $14,522 per acre, while the lowest average land values were reported in the South Central district, $7,623 per acre.

The Northeast district saw the largest percent increase (4.1%) and largest dollar increase ($481 per acre). The North Central district saw the largest percent decline (-2.6%) and the largest dollar decline (-$315 per acre) in values.

By County - 2025 - 2024 (dollars per acre) 
Woodbury - 11,277 - 10,979 
Monona - 10,563 - 10,283 
Harrison - 10,994 - 10,750 
Pottatattamie - 11,571 - 11,360 
Crawford - 12,563 - 12,253 
Shelby - 11,847 - 11,579 

Factors Influencing the Market
Lower commodity prices were cited as a negative factor influencing the market by 32% of respondents, marking the most common factor among respondents. Other negative factors cited by respondents include long-term interest rates (22%) and tariffs and trade uncertainty (13%).

Limited land supply was cited most often as a positive factor influencing the market (21%). Other positive factors include strong yields (13%) and cash/credit availability (10%).

Land values were determined by the 2025 Iowa State University Land Value Survey, conducted in November by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Results from the survey are consistent with results by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the REALTORS® Land Institute, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture showing only small changes in the land markets. 

The Iowa State Land Value Survey is based on reports by agricultural professionals knowledgeable of land market conditions, such as appraisers, farm managers, agricultural lenders, and actual land sales, and is intended to provide information on general land value trends, geographical land price relationships, and factors influencing the Iowa land market. The 2025 survey is based on 463 usable responses from 316 agricultural professionals. Sixty-nine percent of the 316 respondents answered the survey online. 

The Iowa State Land Value Survey was initiated in 1941, the first in the nation, and is sponsored annually by Iowa State. The survey is typically conducted every November and the results are released mid-December. Only the state average and the district averages are based directly on the Iowa State survey data. County estimates are derived using a procedure that combines the Iowa State survey results with data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture. 



U.S. Pork Exports Steady in September with Value Record for Mexico; Beef Exports Lowest Since Mid-2020

USDA has released red meat export data for September, which was delayed due to the recent government shutdown. As compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), September data showed a fairly steady performance for U.S. pork exports, matching year-ago value while down slightly in volume. But September beef exports were the lowest in more than five years, with shipments to China effectively halted and exports to other Asian markets also trending lower year-over-year.

“We are encouraged by the robust and resilient global demand for U.S. pork – especially in Mexico, but also in a broad range of international markets,” said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. “The situation is obviously much more challenging on the beef side, primarily due to the ongoing impasse with the Chinese government, which continues to ignore its commitments under the U.S.-China Phase One Agreement. U.S. industry losses continue to mount as a result of this lockout, and relief simply cannot come soon enough.”

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is conducting a Section 301 investigation of China’s implementation of the U.S.-China Economic and Trade Agreement, popularly known as the Phase One Agreement, with a public hearing set for Tuesday, Dec. 16. USMEF submitted comments to USTR detailing China’s failure to meet its Phase One commitments on red meat trade.

Value record for Mexico led strong September performance for U.S. pork
Pork exports totaled 233,816 metric tons (mt) in September, down 2% from a year ago. Export value was steady at $683.9 million, highlighted by the highest value on record for Mexico (nearly $260 million). The value of pork muscle cut exports trended higher in September ($586.2 million, up 1%), but pork variety meat exports declined, due in part to China’s retaliatory tariffs. Excluding China, September pork and pork variety meat exports were 4% above last year.

Through the first three quarters of the year, pork exports were 3% below the record pace of 2024 in both volume (2.16 million mt) and value ($6.16 billion), and down just 1% when excluding China. Exports to leading market Mexico, which have already topped $2 billion in value in 2025, and to Central America, are poised to reach new annual highs. January-September shipments also increased year-over-year to Colombia, the Caribbean, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

Few bright spots in a difficult month for U.S. beef exports
September beef exports were just 80,835 mt, down 22% from a year ago and the lowest since June 2020. Export value was $660.9 million, also down 22% and the lowest since February 2021. Even when excluding China, beef export volume fell 11% year-over-year, due in part to lower production.

January-September beef exports totaled 856,023 mt, down 11% from a year ago (and down 4% when excluding China). Export value was down 10% to $7.03 billion. Exports trended higher to leading value market Korea and to Central and South America, Hong Kong, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Africa. But these gains were more than offset by the steep decline to China and lower shipments to Japan, Mexico, Canada and Taiwan.

September lamb exports above year-ago, but lowest of 2025
September exports of U.S. lamb muscle cuts totaled 130 mt, up 67% from last year’s low volume but the smallest in 12 months. Export value was $807,000, up 64% but also the lowest since last September. Led by growth in Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada, January-September exports increased 47% from a year ago to 2,179 mt, valued at $11.7 million (up 31%). Exports also increased to Costa Rica and Panama.