Land guide
What farmland produces, and what that is worth
Land pays in more than one currency. The same acre can grow a corn crop, carry standing timber, or hold a hunting lease, and the numbers behind each are very different. This guide lays out what farmland produces and roughly what it earns, using yields modeled from soil quality and income ranges from named sources, and it is honest about the difference between gross revenue and what actually lands in your pocket.
Row crops: yield follows the soil
The biggest driver of what a crop acre produces is the soil under it. AgriTerra models corn yield directly from a parcel's soil productivity index: Modeled corn yield (bu/ac) = 140 + (soil PI / 100) x 100, within a 140 to 240 range. A weak, wet, or thin soil sits near the bottom; the best ground approaches the top. Soybeans track soil quality the same way. This is a modeled estimate of potential, labeled as modeled, not a promise; weather and management still decide the actual bushels.
| Soil productivity index | Modeled corn yield |
|---|---|
| 20 | 160 bu/ac |
| 40 | 180 bu/ac |
| 60 | 200 bu/ac |
| 80 | 220 bu/ac |
| 100 | 240 bu/ac |
Modeled from the soil productivity index using AgriTerra's published yield curve. Observed state-average corn and soybean yields are published annually by USDA NASS and vary by state and season; this table is a modeled potential for a parcel, not an observed average.
What that is worth per acre
Gross crop revenue is simple arithmetic: yield times price. At a USDA marketing-year corn price of about $4.2 per bushel (as of 2026-07) and modeled yields of 140 to 240 bushels, gross corn revenue runs from roughly $588 to $1,008 an acre. That is the top line, not the take-home.
Out of that gross come the growing costs. AgriTerra uses a non-land cost basis of non-land operating plus overhead, anchored to OSU, Purdue and Iowa State 2025 to 2026 crop budgets. One honest note on that figure: USDA ERS publishes commodity costs by farm resource region, not by state, so there is no state ERS cost series; AgriTerra uses university extension crop budgets and labels the figure a non-land cost approximation. Land rent or ownership cost then comes out on top of the non-land costs. Net income per acre is often a small share of gross and can go negative in a poor year, which is exactly why a landowner weighs cash rent, conservation, or a lease against continuing to farm rather than assuming crops always win.
Timber: a one-time harvest value
Wooded ground carries value in standing timber. For a one-time selective harvest of a mature hardwood stand, here is the per-acre range for Ohio and Indiana, from the state stumpage reports. It swings hard on species mix: a walnut or white-oak-heavy stand prices well above these blended figures.
| State | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | $1,050 | $3,270 | $9,500 |
| Indiana | $1,233 | $4,236 | $12,940 |
Per-acre value for a one-time selective harvest of a mature deciduous (hardwood) stand: statewide stumpage prices times a yield assumption of 3 to 10 thousand board feet per acre. Ohio from the OSU Extension Ohio Timber Price Report (January 2026 (Fall 2025 survey)); Indiana from the Indiana Consulting Foresters Stumpage Timber Price Report (2025 sales - published Indiana Woodland Steward Vol. 35 No. 1 (2026)). Individual stand quality and local markets vary widely; this is not a woodlot appraisal.
Hunting and recreational leases
Land can also earn a recreational lease without growing anything. Hunting-lease rates depend on habitat and demand: trophy-deer country pays a multiple of open row-crop ground. Here are typical advertised ranges for Ohio and Indiana.
| Region | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central / Western Ohio - row-crop interior | $10/ac | $18/ac | $30/ac |
| Southeast Ohio - Appalachian deer / turkey belt | $15/ac | $25/ac | $45/ac |
| Indiana - Midwest deer | $12/ac | $22/ac | $40/ac |
Dollars per acre per year. Market indications compiled from MSU Extension hunting-lease guidance and regional brokerage commentary, not a published rate table. Southeast Ohio's Appalachian deer and turkey belt leads the state for advertised leases.
What actually grows where
Which crops a region grows is a function of soil, climate, and market. For a data-backed look at the top crops by acreage and the county leaders, see what grows in Ohio and Indiana, or farmland analysis in other states. To compare farming against cash rent, conservation, and energy for a specific parcel, the land-use optimizer lays every option side by side. For how each figure here is sourced and labeled, see how we get our numbers.
What farmland produces: frequently asked questions
- How much do farmers make per acre?
- It varies widely and it is a net-of-costs question, not a revenue one. Gross crop revenue is yield times price: at AgriTerra's modeled corn yields of 140 to 240 bushels per acre and a USDA marketing-year corn price of about $4.2 per bushel, gross runs from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars an acre. Non-land operating and overhead costs then come out of that, and land rent or ownership cost on top. Net income per acre is often a small fraction of gross and can be negative in a bad year.
- What is the average corn yield per acre?
- Observed averages are published each year by USDA NASS and vary a lot by state and season. AgriTerra models a parcel's corn yield from its soil productivity index: 140 bushels per acre at the low end of soil quality up to 240 at the high end. That modeled figure is labeled as modeled, not a guarantee, and weather and management move the actual result.
- How much is timber worth per acre?
- For a one-time selective harvest of a mature hardwood stand, AgriTerra's Ohio and Indiana ranges run from around $1,050 to $12,940 per acre, depending on species mix and stand quality. Walnut or white-oak-heavy stands price well above the blend. These are estimates from state stumpage reports times a yield assumption, not an appraisal of a specific woodlot.
- How much can I charge for a hunting lease?
- Typical advertised hunting leases in the Midwest run from about $10 to $45 an acre per year, higher in trophy-deer areas like southeast Ohio and lower on open row-crop ground. These are market indications compiled from extension guidance and brokerage commentary, not a published rate table, and local demand and habitat quality drive the number.
Compare every way your land can pay.
AgriTerra reads soil, water, and market data for your parcel and lays out crops, cash rent, conservation, timber, and energy side by side, each with a per-acre figure and its source, free.