After four years of double-digit growth in North Dakota’s average cropland prices, reports indicate values have slowed momentum or even slightly reversed the trend in some regions.
According to the North Dakota Department of Trust Land’s annual land survey data, statewide cropland values grew just 0.88% from 2025 to 2026.
Bryon Parman, North Dakota State University Extension agricultural finance specialist who analyzed the data, says he sees the average value flatten after four straight years of value increases.
While the state average showed little or no growth, there were much wider region-specific swings, he notes. The north central district saw a land price increase of more than 8%; the northwest rose nearly 6%; the south central saw an increase just below 5% and the east central increased approximately 2%.
However, the southeast reportss a decline in cropland values of nearly -7.5%; the southwest declined by just more than -3% and the northeast declined almost -1%.
The north and South Red River Valley showed little change in cropland prices from 2025 to 2026.
Rents
For the first time in several years, rents increased more than land prices, with a statewide gain of 2%. However, rents were less variable than land prices. Three regions — the southwest, southeast and North Red River Valley — remain essentially unchanged, moving up or down by less than 1%. The largest rent decline was in the South Red River Valley at -2.5%.
The remaining regions saw rental rate increases. The largest increase occurred in the north central district at 8.2%, followed by the east central at a 6.5% rise. The northwest increased approximately 4.5%, south central 2.7% and northeast just under 2%.
“While it was widely expected that there would be a slowdown in cropland price growth across the state, which the state average supports, it is a bit surprising to see the wider regional swings,” says Parman.
When farm profits are thin and begin to impact land values, the volume of sales tends to slow. When that happens, the sales that do occur will have a much larger influence. “So, if there is a region where a few individuals are making purchases, this could drive those averages up, while in other regions, a few sales at below the previous years’ averages can pull those averages down further than they normally would,” explains Parman.