Increasing incomes and lower interest rates helping farmers tap into strong farmland values. At the onset of the pandemic crisis, and as conditions really were becoming problematic in April, there was an expectation that the ag sector actually would see a decline in land values. Instead, that has not been the case as farmland values have held and even increased, says Nate Kauffman, vice president and Omaha branch executive with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. While speaking at the USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum on Feb. 19, Kauffman shares, “If anything, we have seen an increase in land values lately and maybe an expectation there is going to be a modest increase between in 2021.”