FLORENCE, S.C. (RFD-TV NEWS) — Population growth, development and investor demand are influencing land values across the Southeast, while farmers navigate weather extremes and work to keep farmland in production for future generations.
Brandon Durant, an accredited farm manager with the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA), said the region has experienced significant population changes, bringing new investment and increased competition for land.
Population Growth Influences Land Values
In his interview with RFD-TV, Durant said an influx of people moving into the Southeast has contributed to higher land values, particularly in timber and recreational markets.
“We’re seeing record population changes as folks are moving into this area,” Durant said. “We’re seeing that increase our values from more development to increased levels of transitional uses out there.”
He said land values in some markets increased by 25% to 30%, with the largest gains concentrated in timber and recreational properties. Farmland values also experienced increases.
Durant said development is converting some agricultural land to other uses as communities grow.
“We’re seeing quite a bit of new money and new influx flowing into our region,” he said.
Weather Extremes Challenge Southeast Producers
Looking back on the 2026 crop year, Durant described a season marked by sharp changes in weather conditions.
He said unusually cold temperatures in February damaged early vegetable production and contributed to crop losses in some areas. Those conditions were followed by widespread drought that hampered early planting.
“We had a record drought that we saw in so many states,” Durant said, noting that many areas reached D2, D3, and D4 drought classifications.
Conditions shifted again in May, when torrential rains created additional challenges for producers.
“We just experienced all kinds of ups and downs in the weather that really just made it an interesting season,” Durant said.
Despite the challenges and some yield losses, he said producers across the region still saw good yields in many areas.
Farm Succession Remains Important
Durant said the transfer of wealth between generations is also affecting the agricultural landscape, with succession planning remaining a priority for farm families.
He said many farmers he works with have sons and daughters returning to the family operation and working to establish plans that will allow the business to continue.
“There are a lot of farmers that I work with on a daily basis that have sons and daughters that are coming back to the farm and are trying to build some of those succession plans,” Durant said.
He said those efforts can help keep generational family farms operating and preserve farmland for agricultural production.
Keeping Farmland in Production
As development expands across the Southeast, Durant said population growth and changing land uses will continue to influence the region’s farmland market.
At the same time, succession planning offers family farms an opportunity to keep operating as ownership passes to the next generation.
For producers facing changing land values and a challenging crop year, maintaining viable operations and planning for the future remain important.
Brandon Durant, an accredited farm manager with ASFMRA, discussed the factors influencing Southeast land values, weather challenges during the 2026 crop year, and succession planning among family farms.
LEARN MORE: www.asfmra.org
