GEOGRAPHICAL ASPECTS OF US FARMLAND VALUES AND CHANGES DURING THE 1978-1992 PERIOD

Data from the US Census of Agriculture suggest important changes since 1978 in regional patterns of farmland values. This study examines the se patterns with the aid of county-level maps showing average values p er hectare for the Census years 1978, 1982, 1987 and 1992 and changes between these years. Farmland price increases are geographically assoc iated with general proximity to major population centers and the prese nce of aesthetically attractive natural landscapes, while these two at tributes in combination are generally absent in areas not experiencing price increases. The widespread phenomenon of non-commercial farming as a factor in farmland price increases is examined. It is hypothesize d that such site factors as climate and soils which traditionally have helped explain higher farmland prices in some regions are of diminish ing importance, while situational factors such as proximity to major p opulation centers are in the ascendancy. The changing importance of si te versus situational factors is assessed using analysis of variance t ests comparing the influence on farmland values of the predominately s ituational differences between metropolitan, nonmetropolitan-adjacent and nonmetropolitan-nonadjacent settings, versus the predominately sit e differences between major agricultural regions. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sc ience Ltd. All rights reserved.