Lean supplies, strong export activity, and vibrant demand both at home and abroad have pushed crop prices to record highs, offsetting today¿s spiraling production costs. As a result, farm profits and investments have soared, and farmland values have boomed. The author discusses current farmland value trends and analyzes the factors underlying the recent surge. He concludes that the recent surge in farmland values tracks expected gains in crop returns. At the same time, however, an unexpected surge in production costs or a drop in crop prices could undercut farmland values and pose a financial risk to the farm sector. Thus far, however, the industry¿s debt levels are up only modestly, helping to mitigate the risks of a drop in farm incomes. Charts and tables.

Public concern over land management has never been greater. This book provides a broad overview of the economics of rural land-use change, drawing attention to the meaningful role economic analysis can play in resolving public concern and supporting future, pro-active land management strategies in rural areas. The book's breadth distinguishes it from other recent texts, as it jointly offers rigorous treatments of theoretical and empirical models of rural land-use change and practical discussions of applications and relevant methods. Chapters are specifically designed to demonstrate the types of land-use questions economic analysis can answer, the types of methods that might be employed to answer these questions, and the types of public policy decisions that may be supported by such analysis. The book makes a significant contribution to contemporary land-use research, highlighting the key methodological and public policy issues that will be central to future research on the economics of rural land-use change.

Of immeasurable value to lenders, agricultural economists, and a host of agribusinesses this unique volume brings together leading farmland authorities in the United States and Canada to examine the economic determinants of land value and the consequences of change in land values. As the most basic factor of production in the agricultural enterprise, farmland dominates the agricultural balance sheet, accounting for an average of 70% of all agricultural assets. The authors of this timely book provide expert analysis and review of this subject.

The Value of Agricultural Land is concerned with the value of agricultural land and covers topics ranging from land rents, transport costs, and land use as well as land prices and agricultural rents. This book has seven chapters; the first of which discusses the principles underlying the value of agricultural land, with emphasis on rent and the views of David Ricardo. The next chapter focuses on Von Thünen's theory of rents, transport costs, and land use. In particular, it examines Von Thünen's argument that transport costs were the cause, and rents the consequence, of important differentiations of agricultural, dairy, and forest production, according to distance from the market. The use of production functions and programming to estimate the marginal productivity of land is then explained, along with agricultural rents actually paid in different countries and periods. This book concludes with an analysis of prices of land in relation to ""residual incomes."" Agricultural economists and policymakers will find this book extremely helpful.