AgLetter: May 2000
The responses from over 360 agricultural bankers indicated
that District farmland values registered an average gain
of 2 percent during the first quarter (January 1–April 1) of
the year. The bankers also reported that farmland values
were up 4 percent for the 12-month period ending April
1. In general, these results reflect the strongest showing
by District farmland values in nearly two years. Despite
the improvement, the bankers reported that District cash
rental rates registered only a fractional increase from last
year. Regarding credit conditions, the bankers indicated
that farm loan demand strengthened during the first
quarter, relative to a year earlier, and that both interest
rates and loan-to-deposit ratios moved higher. Farm loan
repayment rates remained sluggish, and the bankers also
reported they made greater use of federal farm loan guarantees
relative to a year earlier.