URBANA, Ill. – Farmland rent and lease amounts being offered by wind, solar and battery facility companies can be three to 10 times higher than average cash rent amounts being paid by farmers leasing the same-quality land, according to a recent survey. The same mid-year survey, conducted by the Illinois Society of Professional Land Managers and Rural Appraisers (ISPLMRA), also shows that more Illinois farmers and rural landowners are agreeing to lease their land for energy and other industry usage.

“We are seeing that both wind and solar are entering the market, and that’s what the developers are asking for,” said Dr. Juo-Han Tsay, assistant director of the TIA Center for Farmland Research. Around 48 percent of respondents to the survey indicated they have entered into new wind or solar agreements since Jan. 1, 2026, Tsay said.

“The solicitation is not slowing down at all; if anything it has increased,” added Luke Worrell, of Worrell Land Services of Jacksonville, Ill. “The amount of letters that we get on a daily basis (addressed) to our farm management accounts (is greater) for both.”

Of the 50-to-75 land managers who responded to ISPFMRA’s mid-year survey, 62.5 percent reported lease agreements for solar or wind between $1,000 and $2,000 per acre, while 31.2 percent reported amounts of $2,000 to $3,000 per acre. Another 6.2 percent said they leased land for more than $3,000 per acre.

“I think when we ask this question next year you are going to see a big difference, with a lot more people in the ($2,000-$3,000) range. I think this number will continue to skew upwards at least in the short-term,” said Worrell, adding that leases can range from 20 to 30 years, with additional 10-year options often offered.

Two new survey categories – battery storage and data center lease inquiries – were included in the 2026 survey, Exactly one-third of respondents indicated they had received inquiries about leasing land for battery energy storage system (BESS) siting since Jan. 1. Of those inquiries, 22 percent would include solar energy systems and 11 percent were stand-alone.

As for data centers, 26 percent of farm managers were approached by a developer or broker in the first half of 2026, the survey concluded.

Of the inquiries, around half were for data center developments of 100 to 250 acres, 27 percent were for 250 to 500-acre developments, and 18 percent were for greater than 500 acres (only 5 percent involved development of less than 100 acres).

Of interest related to future land usage, around 32 percent of potential land buyers said they intend to farm the land themselves, while 31 percent indicated they would rent it for agricultural purposes. Only 6 percent of survey respondents said they would definitely use the land for renewable energy development, while one percent indicated “other” usage plans. However, half of the land managers surveyed indicated they were already involved with wind or solar agreements in 2026.

2026-27 rental rates illustrate discrepancy 

For excellent quality Illinois farmland, survey respondents said the middle third of cash leases is expected to reach an average of $375 per acre this year, with amounts ranging from $320 to $400 per acre. Good quality land will average $325 per acre, while average quality soils are expected to lease for $273 per acre. Fair quality land will fetch around $200 per acre in Illinois, respondents said.

This news comes after landlord incomes from cash-rented fields experienced a decrease from 2024 to 2025 across the three highest productivity categories. Specifically, returns on excellent quality cash-rented land fell by $25 per acre in 2025 from 2024 levels, while good quality land saw a $10 per acre reduction.

Two-thirds (67 percent) of responding farm managers expect 2027 cash rental rates to remain unchanged from 2026 levels. Nine percent of respondents anticipate further rate escalations, while 24 percent of respondents project a potential softening.

Worrell and Tsay made their comments during a University of Illinois farmdoc webinar, “Rents and Prices Outlook,” which is archived at farmdoc.illinois.edu › webinars.