What July 2026 Iowa Farmland Auctions Tell Us About Land Values

July 2026 Iowa Farmland Auction Results: A Stable Market With Wide Local Variation

Iowa farmland auctions picked up in July 2026, giving us a larger group of sales to evaluate as we head toward the traditionally busier late-summer and fall land market.

A total of 4,227 acres were reported at auction across Iowa during July, compared with 2,666 acres during July 2025. While July is typically one of the slower months for farmland auctions, this year’s increased volume gives us a useful look at where buyers are placing value in the current market.

The biggest takeaway from July isn’t that farmland prices are moving dramatically higher or lower. Instead, the results continue to show a relatively stable Iowa farmland market with considerable variation from one farm to another.

July Iowa Farmland Auction Results

Among the reported July sales, tillable farmland ranged from approximately $4,650 per acre to $18,400 per acre.

That is an enormous range, but it also demonstrates why statewide averages only tell part of the story.
Some notable July results included:

• Carroll County: 79.2 acres sold for $16,900 per acre with an 83.2 tillable CSR2.
• Calhoun County: 240 acres sold for $14,200 per acre with an 86.9 CSR2, while another 160-acre tract brought $13,500 per acre with an 85.9 CSR2.
• Benton County: 123.4 acres sold for $13,200 per acre with a 74.9 CSR2.
• Des Moines County: 32.7 acres sold for $12,475 per acre with an 86.8 CSR2.
• Pocahontas County: nine farmland tracts sold from $9,500 to $11,050 per acre, despite generally strong CSR2 ratings ranging from 80 to 85.2.
• Fremont County: 143.99 acres sold for $7,300 per acre with an 83.4 CSR2.
• Monona County: 77.79 acres sold for $7,150 per acre with a 45.8 CSR2.
• Cass County: 158.33 acres sold for $6,000 per acre with a 54.8 CSR2.
• Wayne County: 81.06 acres sold for $4,650 per acre with a 36.9 CSR2.

The month’s highest reported price was an 80-acre Grundy County tract at $18,400 per acre. That property carried a 92.8 tillable CSR2 and included a wind turbine, making it difficult to compare directly with an ordinary income-producing farmland tract.

Soil Quality Matters — But It Doesn’t Explain Everything

One of the more interesting parts of July’s results is the difference in what buyers paid for similar CSR2 ratings.
For example, the Carroll County farm with an 83.2 CSR2 brought $16,900 per acre. Several Pocahontas County farms with CSR2 ratings in the low-to-mid 80s sold in the $10,000 to $11,000 range. Fremont County’s 83.4 CSR2 tract sold for $7,300 per acre.

Those aren’t small differences.

It reinforces something we see regularly in the auction business: CSR2 is important, but CSR2 alone does not determine what a farm is worth.

Location matters. Drainage matters. Field configuration matters. Improvements matter. Local ownership patterns matter. Development or recreational potential can matter. And perhaps most importantly at auction, the number and motivation of qualified buyers competing for a particular farm matters.

Two farms with nearly identical soil ratings can produce very different auction results.

What Does the Broader Iowa Market Look Like?

Looking beyond July, the statewide numbers suggest a market that has been remarkably resistant to a major correction.

For qualifying farmland auctions from January through June 2026, the statewide weighted average was approximately $12,920 per tillable acre and $172 per tillable CSR2 point.

That compares with $171 per CSR2 point at the end of 2025 and $167 per point at mid-year 2025.
Looking farther back is even more interesting.

The statewide mid-year measurement peaked at approximately $181 per CSR2 point in 2022. The comparable 2026 figure of $172 represents a decline of only about 5%. During that same period, corn prices declined much more substantially.

That tells us farmland values aren’t being determined by today’s corn price alone.

Land remains a scarce asset. Existing owners generally don’t have to sell, and quality farms in strong agricultural neighborhoods can still attract aggressive competition when they reach the market.

The Auction Market Is Becoming More Selective

The July results don’t suggest that every farm is bringing record money. They also don’t suggest that Iowa farmland values are collapsing.

Instead, we’re seeing what appears to be an increasingly selective market.

Exceptional farms can still produce exceptional results. Average farms are being evaluated more carefully, and farms with lower productivity, location challenges or other limitations can trade at substantially lower levels.
That makes the individual marketing and auction strategy increasingly important.

In a rapidly rising market, nearly every sale can look good. In a more balanced market, identifying the right buyers, presenting the property correctly, creating competition and choosing the proper method of sale can have a much greater impact on the final result.

Thinking About Selling Iowa Farmland?

If you’re considering selling farmland in Iowa, the first question shouldn’t necessarily be “What is the statewide average?”
The better question is:

What are buyers likely to pay for my particular farm?

DreamDirt Auctions & Real Estate tracks farmland auction activity throughout Iowa and studies comparable sales, soil productivity, local buyer activity and current market conditions when helping landowners evaluate their options.

If you’re considering a sale…whether it’s this fall, next year or you’re simply trying to understand what the farm may be worth contact DreamDirt for a confidential farmland value estimate.

We’ll evaluate your farm, look at relevant recent sales and give you a realistic assessment of where we believe the market is today.

Your farm only sells once. Make sure the market has every opportunity to speak.

The following table of data includes 80% or more TILLABLE farms that SOLD by auction in July 2026 in Iowa. 

Request a Free Valuation for Your Farm or Land Property

Whether you’re ready to start the selling process, or even remotely curious, we will gladly provide you with a FREE Market Analysis! If you are in a position to sell land in the Midwest, we want to help you achieve the top of the market on your sale.