Kansas Farmland Index Update

The Farmland Price index is a monthly index value done by Creighton University and it is number from 0 to 100 and is based up surveys of rural banks in agriculture areas including Kansas. The states in the Farmland Price Index include Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

The overall reading is now 77.6 for April which is up from 75 in March. A number greater than 50 is indication that land prices are going up. Kansas is pretty close to the overall reading but lower than other states in the survey. Kansas is higher than Minnesota and Missouri but all the other states have higher readings with North Dakota the highest at 86.7 where the market for land is strong.

Recent Farmland Price Index for Kansas values

Dec 2010 78.8

Jan 2011 77.3

Feb 2011 78.2

Mar 2011 74.4

Apr 2011 76.9

The Confidence Index, which tracks bankers' expectations for the rural economy six months out, fell for the third straight monty to 61 in March, from 65.2 in March. Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Hoenig and other bankers predict that interest rates will rise.