2025 County Rental Rates Now Available Online

See here for the site’s reposting policy.

Cash rent lease agreements continue to be the most common type of agricultural lease agreements in Maryland, offering a fixed annual payment per acre and relieving landowners of operating and marketing decisions. Each year, USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimates average cash rental rates per acre for irrigated cropland, non-irrigated cropland, and pastureland at the county and state levels based on farm-level survey data. For more information on the NASS Cash Rents Survey, visit https://www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Guide_to_NASS_Surveys/Cash_Rents_by_County/.

For 2025, the University of Maryland has updated our Maryland Agricultural Cash Rental Rates Report to provide Maryland-specific insights into these rental rates, supporting producers, landowners, and other stakeholders in making informed leasing and land management decisions. The 2025 report includes rental rate data for non-irrigated cropland, irrigated cropland, and pastureland, organized by county and agricultural regions.

Updates in the 2025 Report:

• Updated trend graphs: Visualizations with trendlines show how rental rates have shifted over time, offering a clear picture of recent changes in Maryland’s cropland and pastureland values.

• County breakdowns: Detailed rental rate tables highlight variations across counties and agricultural regions.

• Static maps: 2025 maps illustrate county-level rental rates for non-irrigated cropland and pastureland, allowing producers to quickly compare rental conditions statewide.

Insights from this year’s data:

• The Upper Eastern Shore continues to report the highest non-irrigated and irrigated rental rates, reflecting strong demand and productivity.

• Southern Maryland and Western Maryland (mainly Garrett County) remain the regions with the lowest rental rates.

Accessing the Report

 The full 2025 report and downloadable data files are available here: https://go.umd.edu/rentalrate.

 Rental rate data will also be integrated into the Maryland Grain Budget Planner (go.umd.edu/efmd) in the coming weeks. Developed by the Elevating Farm Management Data team, this free, web-based tool combines crop budgeting with grain marketing analysis. Producers can use it to:

·      Track trends, project expenses, and benchmark profitability.

·       Customize inputs to fit their operation.

·      Provide feedback to improve future versions of the tool.