One of Iowa largest contiguous farms, the Amana Farms is made up of 26,000 acres with award-winning crop fields, a 2,400 cow/calf herd, a 4,000 head cattle feedlot, an anaerobic digester, and Iowa’s largest privately held forest.
Who owns the largest farm in Iowa?
DES MOINES — The world’s third-richest man is now reportedly the biggest farmland owner in America and he’s also among the largest in Iowa. Billionaire Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, now holds claim on some 269-thousand acres of land across the country, including 242-thousand acres of farmland in 19 states.
Who owns the most farm ground in Iowa?
For all the land rented out in Iowa in 2014 by principal non-operator landlords, over 70 percent was owned by someone over the age of 65. In comparison, over half (56 percent) of all farmland in Iowa was owned by someone over 65, according to the Iowa State University Farmland Tenure and Ownership Survey (Duffy 2014).
What is the average size of a farm in Iowa?
360 acres
Total land in farms for Iowa during 2020 was 30.6 million acres, unchanged since 2010. The average farm size in Iowa in 2020 was 360 acres, up 1 acre from 2019. The average farm size for those in the $250,000-$499,999 sales class increased 6 acres from 2019.
Who owns the most land in the state of Iowa?
For example, the survey finds that 60% of Iowa land is owned by people 65 years or older, 82% of Iowa land is owned free of debt, and 29% of all acres is primarily owned for family or sentimental reasons.
Who is the richest farmer in America?
Harry Stine (America)
He has a net worth of $3.5 billion. Stine made this huge fortune by licensing corn and soybean genetics to big multinational companies like Monsanto and Syngenta. Stine, the son of a farmer, was fascinated by seeds when he was growing up at their family farm.
What county in Iowa has the best farmland?
Grundy County
Geological changes thousands of years ago, combined with flat ground and favorable weather conditions, make Grundy County the garden spot of Iowa. While the county’s farmland may not always produce the top yields in the state, soil experts agree it is the best.
How much does an Iowa farmer make per acre?
Driven by strong yields and high corn and soybean prices, Iowa farmland values skyrocketed 29% this year, averaging $9,751 an acre, the highest in 80 years before adjusting for inflation, a new Iowa State University survey shows. That’s 12% higher than the previous peak in 2013, at $8,716 an acre, ISU reported.
How much is an acre worth in Iowa?
$9,751/acre
The 2021 ISU Land Value Survey shows the average value of an acre of Iowa farmland skyrocketed 29 percent over the past 12 months to $9,751/acre as of November 1, 2021.
How much U.S. farmland does China own?
about $1.9 billion
Last July, a Politico report, citing Agriculture Department statistics for 2020, said Chinese companies controlled about $1.9 billion worth of agricultural land. It amounted to about 192,000 of the nearly 900 million acres of total American farmland.
How many farms in Iowa are family owned?
But, the truth is that much of our food is grown and raised on farms by families. Iowa has roughly 88,000 farms and 129,000 farm operators. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2012 Census of Agriculture, more than 97 percent of Iowa farms are owned by families.
Is 2000 acres a big farm?
Yes, 2,000 acres is a substantial amount of land, but it’s the scale at which most grain farmers have to operate in order to make a living thanks to small profit margins. In some cases it’s possible to make a living growing grains with fewer acres, which is what I’m trying to do on my own farm.
How many acres is considered a farm in Iowa?
ten acres
(1) The tract of land must be an “eligible tract of agricultural land” as defined in Iowa Code subsection 425A. 2(5). This means the tract must be ten acres or more or contiguous to a tract of more than ten acres and used in good faith for agricultural or horticultural purposes.
Who is largest landowner in the world?
Roman Catholic Church: 70 million hectares
The largest landowner in the world is not a major oil magnate or a real estate investor. No, it’s the Roman Catholic Church. According to lovemoney.com, the church owns more than 70 million hectares.
What state has the most acres farmland?
Texas
The range and variation of income and farm size is wide, as evidenced by comparisons of farm income, farm size, and crop production in different states based on USDA data for 2019. The state with the largest number of farms, by far, was Texas with 247,000 farms and 126 million acres of farmland and ranches.
Who is the richest farmer in Iowa?
Wealth. He made his fortune licensing soybean and corn genetics to Syngenta, Monsanto, and other agribusiness giants. He is Iowa’s richest man and as of 2020, the state’s only billionaire. Owning nearly 15,000 acres of land in Iowa through his private ownership of Stine Seed, Harry Stine is Iowa’s largest land owner.
Why are billionaires buying up farmland?
Food prices have skyrocketed. Farmland owners benefit from this upswing. This makes it a highly effective inflation hedge — even better than most stocks and bonds. So it’s not a big surprise why billionaires have invested (heavily) in the space in recent years.
Who owns the most farm ground?
The Microsoft co-founder is considered the largest private owner of farmland in the country with some 269,000 acres across dozens of states, according to last year’s edition of the Land Report 100, an annual survey of the nation’s largest landowners.
Where is the most fertile soil in Iowa?
Iowa has some of the most fertile soils in the world. this “black gold” is found in northeast Iowa’s gently rolling terrain, molded by climate, water and plant life.
Why is Iowa soil so good?
Iowa’s rich soil developed under prairie plants and was held tightly by them. When prairie plants die, their decomposition returns nutrients to the soil, creating a rich, black silty soil. When Iowa land was first plowed, the settlers found 14 to 16 inches of topsoil. By 2000 the average was six to eight inches.
How much does an acre of land cost in Iowa 2022?
Prices have continued to soar through the first half of 2022, with an increase of nearly 40% — at an average of $13,812 per acre.