The California Chapter, ASFMRA (American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers), released its 2016 Trends in Agricultural Land & Lease Values publication at the group's annual Outlook Agribusiness Conference in April. A crowd of more than 250 gathered to hear the latest information about California commodities, ag issues and land values. The release of the Trends publication is a highlight of this conference and a date that is widely anticipated in the agribusiness community.
The big question is what is going to happen to rural land values. As 2015 saw increasing land values in nearly all land use categories and regions in California, can this continue? According to Janie Gatzman, ARA, Co-Chair of the Trends publication, "You can rest assured, 2016 will bring change - and not just in the entertaining spectacle known as the presidential race."
In her overview article, 2015: Another Banner Year, or the Beginning of the End? Gatzman reviews the state's top commodities and their performance in 2015. She notes that "While late-year volatility in the nut markets had little chance to impact 2015 land values...one of the key factors driving the increase in land values - record farm profitability - has fundamentally changed in 2016."
The Trends in Agricultural Land & Lease Values includes nine regions, covering all of California and Nevada. Each region includes an editorial overview, Land and Lease Value charts organized by land use and geographic area, and Historical Value charts and graphs going back an average of ten years. It is a widely used resource tool in the industry and the only one of its kind that provides this type of comprehensive data.
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