GUEBERT: Crop insurance pushing land prices ‘to the moon’
December 20, 2012 in The Daily Republic
Many ingredients go into the rocket fuel that pushes land values and rents to the moon: commodity prices, aggressive local farmers, excess machinery capacity, cheap labor, low interest rates, federal farm program benefits. A new, major ingredient, however, is federal crop insurance. Continue Reading
WASHINGTON When regulators come knocking at the Bank of Newman Grove, Neb., inquiring about loan risks, Chairman Jeffrey Gerhart has a “stress test” ready to show how his portfolio would fare if rural land prices dropped 25 percent. Or 50 percent. Or 75 percent. 
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