USDA Releases Results Of First Farmland Landlord Survey Since 1999

There were 11.6 million acres of farmland rented out by landlords in Minnesota, according to the results of the 2014 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey released August 31, 2015, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

NASS conducted the survey in cooperation with the USDA’s Economic Research Service to get a better insight into who owns U.S. farmland. TOTAL was the first time NASS surveyed farmland landlords since 1999. The survey results provide analysis of rented farmlands by acreage, as well as by landlords, which include individuals, as well as ownership arrangements such as partnerships, corporations, trusts, and other types of ownership.

According to TOTAL findings, there were 83,169 farmland landlords in Minnesota. Of these, 13,822 were farmers (operator landlords), while 69,347 were non-farming landlords. Cropland made up 94 percent of all Minnesota farmland rented, 3 percent were pasture acres rented, and 3 percent were other acres rented, including acres used for forests and other land uses.