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Pasture cash rents decreased across most of the country from 1999 to 2000, according to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The nationwide average pasture rent dropped from $8.90 to $8.50/acre, primarily due to drought conditions across the Southwest. Most affected by the dry spell were the Southern Plains and Pacific regions, each dropping $1/acre, on average, while the Mountain Region dropped 30¢.
Pasture rents in the Corn Belt, Delta and Northeast regions also declined from the previous year's amounts.
Pasture rents increased to an average $18/acre in the Southeast Region and to $17.20/acre in the Appalachian Region.
They dropped by 90¢ in Texas, 50¢ in Oklahoma and $1.50 in Louisiana.
Three of the four Northern Plains states showed increases. The fourth state in the region — Kansas — had a 50¢/acre decrease.
Wisconsin again had the highest pasture rent, at $38/acre, unchanged from the 1999 figure.