Salt Plains Properties

Land Brokers Who Live The Land

The Market Is Still Moving. Here’s Where Things Stand.

After several years of rapid appreciation, Oklahoma and Kansas land values are settling into a more measured pace heading into summer 2026. Values are still rising — supply remains tight, recreational demand is strong, and cattle economics are favorable — but buyers are more deliberate, and the days of competing against a half-dozen offers on every listing are largely behind us. That creates opportunity. Here’s what the data shows and what it means if you’re buying or selling ground this year.

Values Are Up, But Buyers Are Taking Their Time

Oklahoma farm real estate averaged $2,880 per acre in 2025, a 5.9% increase from the prior year according to USDA NASS. That continued appreciation comes after a run that saw statewide farmland values climb from roughly $2,950 per acre in 2021 to $3,720 per acre in 2024 — a 26% gain over three years. The trajectory is still positive, but the pace has moderated considerably from the double-digit growth years of 2021 and 2022.

What’s changed is buyer behavior, not buyer demand. Average days on market in Central Oklahoma have climbed from 33 days to 48 days year over year. Properties are still selling — qualified buyers are still active — but they’re doing more homework before writing offers. For sellers, that means pricing needs to be grounded in real comparables. For buyers, it means there’s room to be methodical without watching a deal disappear overnight.

Strong Values, Fewer Tracts on the Market

Eastern Kansas continues to be one of the stronger land markets in the region. Benchmark farmland values there rose 7.4% through 2025, with average benchmark farm values reaching $5,684 per acre at year’s end, according to Frontier Farm Credit. Pasture ground also gained, up 4.4% for the year.

The notable dynamic in Kansas right now is supply. The number of cropland tracts that actually traded hands dropped significantly in 2025 — more than 35% fewer transactions in eastern Kansas compared to the year prior. Fewer listings, competitive bidding on the quality ground that does hit the market, and values holding firm as a result. K-State Extension has characterized 2026 as a period of stabilization rather than correction: values pausing to absorb recent gains rather than giving them back.

For Kansas buyers, the practical takeaway is this: when a quality tract comes to market this summer, it will move. The window to evaluate, get financing in order, and make a decision is shorter than it looks, because the best properties rarely make it deep into the listing season.

Recreation Is Driving More Transactions Than Most People Realize

As farmland economics tighten — higher input costs, commodity price pressure, interest rates that don’t pencil at the numbers they did a few years ago — the share of transactions going to recreational buyers rather than farm operators is growing. Federal Reserve contacts in Oklahoma have noted a measurable shift in demand toward recreational and investment land as purely agricultural returns became harder to achieve. When a working farmer can’t make the math work at current prices, a recreational buyer often can, because their motivation is different.

Cattle economics are also working in the market’s favor. Fed steer prices reached record highs in 2025, which supports pasture and ranch valuations across both states. A property that runs cattle, produces hay, and offers quality hunting is being pursued from multiple directions at once — the agricultural operator, the recreational buyer, and the investment-minded landowner are all competing for the same ground.

Properties with established deer habitat, timber, reliable water, and some tillable ground are holding value even as the broader market moderates. The floor under quality recreational land in Oklahoma and Kansas is firmer right now than most market observers would predict.

What This Market Means for You in 2026

A stabilizing market is a more rational market, and rational markets reward preparation. If you’re a buyer, the window between now and mid-summer represents the best combination of inventory, visibility, and time to do real due diligence that you’ll get this year. Sellers are more realistic about pricing than they were twelve months ago, and that makes for a healthier negotiating environment.

If you’re a seller, quality still commands. Properties that are well-presented, accurately priced against current comparables, and positioned to the right buyers are moving. What’s sitting is what’s overpriced or underprepared — and that’s true in any market.

At Salt Plains Properties, we’re active with buyers and sellers across both states right now. We know what comparable sales look like, we know which properties are coming to market before they’re listed, and we know the difference between a property priced right and one that isn’t. If you want an honest read on where the market stands for your specific situation — whether you’re buying, selling, or just watching — reach out to our team.

Salt Plains Properties

Edmond, Oklahoma

Recreational • Farm • Ranch • Investment

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