URBANA, Ill. (RFD News) — Cash rents in Illinois could decline slightly next season, although higher crop prices may limit that decline.
University of Illinois agricultural economist Dr. Juo-Han Tsay recently surveyed several operations about the outlook for cash rents.
“Our USDA number shows that this year, Illinois is about $261 per acre, which is lower, coming down from our peak in 2024. Our Illinois Society survey shows that the expectation for 2027 cash rents will be decreasing about $3 to $5 per acre from 2026. However, it is based on the expectation at that summer when we do the surveys. Right now, these crop prices can be a little bit higher than what we expect at that time during the surveys. My expectation is that we may see an even smaller decrease, smaller than $3 to $5 for 2027.”
Tsay says profitability remains below long-term averages but does not expect that to change the outlook.
