The highest average cash rent for farmland on a county basis in Illinois was $260/acre in Macon County, as reported by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Average cash rents paid by Illinois farmers for 2011 were recently released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Published on a county basis, the rent report showed the highest average cash rent was $260/acre in Macon County. This is the second year the county has had the highest average rent in the state.
Statewide, cash rents average $183/acre. This is an 8% increase from 2010 when the state average was $169/acre.
Overall, the highest rents were found in central Illinois where Macon County is located. The second highest average rent was $252/acre in Sangamon County and the third highest $246/acre in Logan County.
Illinois is a state of contrasts, however. Cash rents in the southern part of the state were much lower than the northern part of the state. Here, rents dropped to a low of $74/acre in Williamson County.
The NASS county cash rent report is available at: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Illinois/Publications/Current_News_Release/Pr-2011-Cash-Rents.pdf
